Page 16 of A Candy Cane Christmas
Nope, wasn’t gonna happen.
“Soo… how badly did I fuck up just now?” I asked, running a hand through my hair.
Would biting my lip help make me look more apologetic? I mean, I was apologetic, but I kinda still wanted him and Hazel to come over.
“We’ll see,” Theo said, letting out a sigh. “Why don’t you tell me why we’re needed in your apartment?”
Pulling a face, I bit my lip. “Uhm, I planned a surprise first date for you and Hazel? It kinda involves a lot of fingerpaint and glitter? And I may have ordered pizza for later?”
“Oh.” He nodded, face still a stoic mask.
Damn.
Not the reaction I was going for.
Oh, fuck. Oh, fuck, no.
Theo was turning around. He wouldn’t just… go, right?
“Hazel, sweetie, you need your art clothes—and a hair tie,” Theo shouted into their apartment. A scream of pure joy was the answer, closely followed by tiny feet jumping and running away. As Theo turned back around to face me, his face had relaxed, and he wore a gentle smile. “Youareaware of the fact that all parents despise glitter, right?”
Yeah, I was, but… “Kids love it, though. And I wanted this date to be fun for Hazel, too.”
He’d said they were a package deal.
Theo sighed, but there was a hint of a smile ghosting over his lips. “Fine. You win. Just, uhm, next time please let me know about your plans beforehand, okay?”
“How long beforehand? Because I didn’t actually know about this date till… uh… not that long ago.”
Theo shook his head, but his smile was bigger now, and there was something in his expression I wanted to bask in. “You’re gonna be trouble, aren’t you?”
Giving him an apologetic grin, I shrugged. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Before we could banter more, Hazel appeared behind her dad, carrying a white piece of fabric in one hand, a doll in the other, while having a bright purple scrunchie wedged between her teeth. “’m he’e,” she mumbled around the scrunchie, smiling widely.
“Let’s go,” I said, leading my dates—father and daughter—down the stairs, while Hazel happily chatted away, telling me all about her kindergarten class and how Bobby hadn’t believed her when she’d told him she’d had hot chocolate with a real elf. At least, that’s what I gathered. Between the scrunchie in her mouth, the pitter-patter of her feet, and the fact that my heart was pounding in my chest like a sledgehammer, she was hard to understand.
The air in the stairwell was filled with the aroma of cinnamon and sugar again, and my stomach rumbled in response as I opened my apartment door. In here, it didn’t smell as good, though I personally loved the scent of paint that seemed to have seeped into my apartment walls. It faded, but it never really went away, even if I had my paints packed up for days on end.
“Daddy, look!” Hazel shouted, her clothes falling onto the floor in a heap as she skipped over to a smaller painting inpurples and blues. “And over here!” Running further along the hall, she stopped in front of the photo starring me as an elf. “It’s Mr. Elf! But he looks very different when he works for Santa.”
“You can call me Luci,” I offered, but I wasn’t sure my words even registered with her as she continued along, running into the living room while Theo was left with picking up the fabric and the scrunchie she’d spit out upon first entering.
“She seems really excited,” I said, warmth igniting in my chest. I might’ve fucked up a little, but I’d gotten at least part of it right. “Just wait until she sees…”
A loud scream came from the living room.
“I think she found it,” I said.
Theo gave me a wide-eyed stare that was a mix of horror and curiosity. “What did you do?” he whispered.
I chuckled. I had the urge to grab his hand, but hesitated for a second. Would that be too much? I wasn’t gonna kiss him in front of his kid or anything, and it wasn’t really holding hands if I was just dragging him with me, right?
In the end, my excitement won out, and I grabbed his wrist. Dragging him with me, I reveled in that little bit of contact. His warm skin, the muscles working in his forearm.
Letting out a surprised laugh, Theo followed suit.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get his initial reaction, as I was too stunned by the little girl desperately trying to undress in the middle of my living room.
