Part 24 (1/2)
”Elijah's picking on you because he thinks you're pretty,” I said.
She wrinkled her nose. ”I know. He wants me to be his girlfriend.”
Nathan choked on his taco sh.e.l.l. I shot him a grin while he gulped his water.
After dinner, Arwen took me by the hand and led me to her bedroom. A white canopy bed was filled with fluffy pillows and stuffed animals, and every inch of the soft pink walls were covered with princess posters. And there was a pink bookshelf-filled to the rim with books. Excitedly, she pulled me toward the shelf, and the three of us sat down on the carpet while she introduced me to her library.
”I forgot your gift on the kitchen counter,” I said. ”Would you mind getting it for me?”
Her little face beamed before she climbed to her feet and ran out of the room.
”She really likes you,” Nathan whispered.
”I like her, too.”
The peaceful expression on his face made me weak in the knees. He looked relieved, happy, and just a little amazed.
”You seem surprised.”
”Actually, I'm not surprised at all, Jada.”
We smiled at each other just as Arwen reappeared with the purple gift bag. Positioning herself between the two of us, she eagerly reached in and pulled out the book. Her happy gasp filled me with relief.
”It's Belle!” Arwen squealed, showing her dad the cover of the Disney storybook. ”Thank you, Jada!”
”You're welcome.”
”Can we read it now?”
”After your bath,” Nathan said gently.
Arwen nodded and rushed toward her dresser. She pulled out her pajamas and slammed the drawer before sprinting out of the room.
Nathan chuckled. ”Normally, getting her into the tub is a fight.”
I glanced down at my watch, my heart sinking a little when I noticed the time.
”I should probably head home and let you get her settled.”
”You're welcome to stay. All I'm allowed to do is start the water. She won't even let me wash her hair anymore.”
I laughed. ”She's an amazing little girl, Nathan.”
”Thank you.”
Arwen yelled for her dad, and he offered me a heart-stopping smile before climbing to his feet and walking out of the room.
After the quickest bath in history, Arwen was finally tucked into her bed with her new book. She'd struggled with some of the harder vocabulary, and that's when she asked me to join her. I glanced at Nathan, making sure it was okay, and he smiled approvingly. Slipping off my shoes, I climbed into the canopy bed, and Arwen snuggled close as I read aloud. At one point, I noticed Nathan slip out of the room, only to return moments later with a sketchbook in his hand. He settled himself on the floor and began to draw as Arwen and I took turns reading about Belle and her beast.
The little girl was snoring before we reached the happily ever after.
I gently closed the book, and when I looked up, I was startled by the expression on Nathan's face. He was watching the two of us intently, his eyes sparkling with some emotion I couldn't quite name.
”What are you drawing?” I whispered.
Nathan smiled sheepishly. ”You'll see.”
”Can I see now?”
He shook his head. ”It isn't finished.”
Lowering his head, he continued to sketch. I wondered what he was thinking, watching as I held his little girl while she slept. Was this level of affection typical for her? Was she naturally so open with strangers? I'd expected her to be a little distant and unfriendly, but she'd been nothing but sweet and talkative all night long.
It made me sad, because I knew she had to miss having a mom. I hadn't given much thought to her until now. I'd been so excited that Nathan wasn't wearing a ring that I didn't consider the fact that his daughter was growing up without a mother.
Tonight had been unexpected, in more ways than one.
Eventually, Nathan closed his sketchbook and rose to his feet. I took that as my cue, and I slipped out of the bed, careful not to wake Arwen. Nathan gently tucked the blankets around her and leaned down to kiss her forehead before the two of us crept quietly out of the room.
Silently, we walked toward the living room. Nathan led me over to the couch, and we settled against the leather sofa.
”You look overwhelmed,” he murmured.
”I am, a little.”
”Is it a good or bad overwhelmed?”
”Good, I think.”
”That's how I feel, too,” he said, smiling softly as he scooted closer to me. ”It was . . . really something, seeing the two of you together. She's not usually so friendly with the women I date. That's why I don't go out much. To be honest, this is the first time I've had dinner with someone who wasn't my daughter in a very long time.”
”What happened with the other women?”
He sighed deeply. ”I didn't let them meet Arwen until we'd been dating a few months. The last thing I wanted was for my little girl to become attached to someone if I wasn't sure there was a chance it'd work out between us. I was very clear from the beginning that Arwen was, and always will be, my first priority.”
”Well, of course she is. That's how it should be.”
Nathan smiled sadly. ”They didn't see it that way.”
”So, tonight's dinner was a test?”
”Sort of, I guess. I really did want to have dinner with you, and the sitter really did have plans, so we didn't have a lot of options.”
I grinned. ”We could have gone out another night.”
”I didn't want to wait.” Nathan reached for me, sliding his hand along mine until our fingers entwined.
”Did I pa.s.s the test?” I whispered, loving the feel of his hand against mine.
Nathan laughed lightly. ”My daughter asked you to read her a bedtime story. That's never happened.”