Page 23 of Single Dad Billionaire Boss

Ella grabbed the scissors and started ripping into boxes. “She willlovethis!” she said, struggling to drag out a bounce house that I had purchased for Zoe online. “I have literally seen this on social media. It’s gorgeous.”

After I uncoiled the hose and set up the blower, Ella unfolded the yards of colorful nylon.

“You want to do the honors?” I asked, trying not to smile at the fact that Ella looked like a child herself on Christmas morning. She plugged in the fan, and the two of us sat back and watched the bounce house fill with air. It seemed way bigger than in the photo.

“Uh-oh,” I said. “Reviews online said it was for outdoor use.”

Ella elbowed me. “Believe me, anyone who can afford this has a house big enough to use it inside. Just look at it!”

The bounce house was beautiful when it was inflated, the front arching like a rainbow in a pink gradient from blush to rose. “That is the most magical thing I’ve ever seen,” Ella said. She had the silliest grin on her face.

“You have to try it,” I said, and Ella shook her head.

“No. It’s Zoe’s Christmas present. I’m not going to be the first one to use it.”

“Can you stop?” I blurted out.

“What?”

“Nothing,” I said.Being adorablewas what I wanted to say. “Just open some more boxes. It’s possible I went a little overboard.”

“Just a little, yeah,” Ella said.

I broke down boxes for recycling while Ella sorted the contents into piles of clothes, books, and toys. Ella held up a copy ofThumbelina.

“She loves this one when we read it at the library,” she said. “I don’t get it. I was more of aGoldilocks and the Three Bearskid myself.”

I smirked and looked around. “Barging into strangers’ houses? Eating their food?”

Ella laughed. “I’m not claiming squatter’s rights. You told me where the key was.”

We held each other’s eyes for a moment, and then I said, “I’m sorry I messed up your trip home.”

“I knew I wasn’t going to make it,” Ella said.

“I promise I’ll get you a flight as soon as the weather clears.” Ella looked as if she wanted to say something, then placed another book atop the stack she made. “I can put those in a gift bag,” I said.

“I want to set them up,” Ella said. “The bounce house would be a perfect reading nest.”

“It’s called abouncehouse for a reason,” I said. “Going out on a limb here and saying you have a different idea of fun than a five-year-old.”

“Hey, now, Zoe and I have fun all the time.”

“Yes, sliding across the lawn on a wet garbage bag.”

“That’s fun!”

“When I was your age, I did a lot of rappelling, tore up my knee and had to have surgery on my ACL.”

“You’re in your thirties, right?” Ella asked. “What, are you worried you’ll break a hip if you tried the slippy slide?”

“Learn from my experience, young one. Take better care of your knees and eat more fiber.”

Ella laughed. “Noted. I’m getting you Metamucil, then, for your birthday. Do you like the powder or are you a cool dad who uses the gummies?”

I couldn’t help it, I started laughing too. “Definitely a gummy dad, but I’ll have you know that whole grains and leafy greens are better—” I couldn’t even finish I was laughing so hard.

Ella recovered enough to stack the books and set one opened to a page on top. Then she posed a round, strange-looking stuffed chicken that I had picked up in Singapore as if it were reading it.

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