Page 58 of Nico
"I know you have wedding stuff." He ran his hands up and down her arms, eyes wandering over her face hungrily. "How about this? We go out dancing later. There's this lovely Italian restaurant on Fowler's Street with an intimate balcony overlooking the harbor."
"We'll see. I know you have several deadlines, and you want to finish before the wedding."
"And the honeymoon." He was just drawing her into his arms, when Gracie came bursting into the foyer, her face flushed with excitement as she spotted Sadie.
The little girl made a beeline for her and lifted her arms. With a pleased smile, Sadie hoisted her up and kissed her on the lips.
"It seems as if it's just us girls. Ready to go?"
Gracie nodded readily and turned to beam at her dad. "I did my potty."
"Did you?" He pecked her on the cheek. "Good girl. Now be very good for Sadie and mind her when she tells you to do something."
Gracie nodded solemnly.
"Okay, my two best girls, off with you."
Gracie giggled when he leaned down to kiss Sadie on the lips.
"Me!"
"Of course." Tilting her chin up, he smacked her lips and had her laughing.
"Bundle up, it's cold," he warned and followed them to the door. "See you later."
*****
The children's museum was packed despite the icy January weather. Finding a parking space near to the towering building, Sadie bundled Gracie into her jacket and put on her hat and gloves.
"Warm enough?"
"Toasty." Bottle green eyes so like her dad's sparkled with mischief. "Grams said that. Toasty."
"Toasty is good. Ready?"
Gracie nodded and started to tug at Sadie's hand. "I want to see dinosaurs."
"Of course you do." With a laugh, she allowed herself to be dragged through the double glass doors.
Once inside, Sadie guided Gracie to the glass displays of rock formations and familiar faces from Nickelodeon. As Gracie pressed her nose to the cool glass, her eyes grew wide with excitement.
"Sadie, look! Dinosaurs!" she squealed, pointing at the towering skeletons in the center of the exhibit hall.
Sadie smiled, feeling a warmth in her chest at Gracie's innocent enthusiasm. She knelt beside her, reading the placard aloud, her voice carrying over the hum of other visitors.
"This is a Tyrannosaurus rex. See how big its teeth are?"
Gracie's face lit up. "It's scary. Did it eat people?"
Sadie laughed softly. "No, sweetie. There weren't any people when dinosaurs lived. They only ate other dinosaurs."
Gracie considered this, her brow furrowing in concentration. "I'm glad they're not alive now. I'd be scared."
Sadie squeezed her hand reassuringly. "Me too. But here, they're just bones. Nothing to be afraid of."
She glanced around at the other exhibits, imagining all the adventures Gracie would discover today. For a brief moment,she felt a sense of peace, grateful for this new bond that was forming between them.
"Come on," Sadie said, standing and offering her hand, "let's see what else we can find. Maybe there are some fossils you can touch."
