“Everything’s fine. I just have a very excited little girl who wants to say thank you for your gift, and unless I put her on the phone she’s probably going to beat down your door.”
He gave a little chuckle, and Meghan tried to ignore the way it made her heart skip a beat. Before she could say anything else, Isla grabbed the phone and started talking excitedly into the mouthpiece.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” Isla was breathless. “I love it. It’s so pretty. Everybody’s going to be so jealous when they see it.” There was a pause, and Meghan could hear the low rumble of his voice.
“Yeah, it was good,” Isla replied. “I was Ariel. Everybody kept saying it’s because I have red hair, but we all know that Ella Frances can’t sing a single note.”
Isla’s face was bright with excitement, her brows pulled down as she concentrated on what Rich was saying. “Yep,” she said. “I definitely will. Do you want to speak to Mommy? She’s going to cook my favorite dinner. You should come over and eat with us. Pleeeaase?” Isla lifted the phone from her ear, but didn’t bother to cover the mouthpiece. “Mommy, can Rich come have dinner with us?”
Meghan tried not to laugh. “Sure.”
“Here, you tell him what time we’re eating.” Isla shoved the phone at her and skipped off, pulling at her necklace with gentle fingers. Meghan lifted the phone back to her ear.
“Sorry about that.”
“It’s fine. But before I make a real commitment I want to know what you’re cooking.”
“Nuggets and tater tots.”
“Those are my absolute favorite, too.” There was still a thickness to his voice.
“Did we wake you?” Meghan asked.
“Yeah, but I needed to get up. Otherwise I won’t sleep tonight. Can I bring anything with me?”
“Just yourself. It’ll be ready at six.” She tried to ignore the tingling inside of her at the thought of him spending time with them.
“Okay. Tater tots and nuggets at six. I’ve got it.”
She grinned. “See you then.”
20
After checking on Gloria, who’d been released from the hospital the day before, Rich walked over to Meghan’s door and rapped his knuckles on the wood, grinning when Isla opened it, her eyes wide with delight.
“Come in,” she said, pulling his hand until he was inside their apartment. “Do you like ketchup? I’m only allowed one squeeze, but when you have tater tots and nuggets you really need two.”
“I’m a big fan of ketchup.” He grinned down at the little girl. “But your mom’s right. There’s a lot of sugar in there, so you need to eat it in moderation.”
“My dentist says I have great teeth,” Isla said, her hand still in his. It felt so tiny against his warm palm. “Mommy says that’s because I brush my teeth so good. She’s in the bedroom. I heard her huffing and puffing and pulling drawers like she was looking for something.”
As if on cue, Meghan’s bedroom door opened, and she walked out, a smile curling her lips as she saw him standing there. Through the crack in the door he could see her bed, and he had to push away the memories of the night he’d spent in there.
“Hey. Dinner’s in the oven. I’ve been slaving all day.” She looked pretty in a pale yellow dress that ended at the knee, cinched in at the waist with a thick black belt. It contrasted perfectly with her russet waves.
“Hey.” He leaned in to kiss her cheek. Isla was already distracted by something on the television. “How are you?”
“I’m good.” She smiled up at him. He’d forgotten how green her eyes were, and how much he loved it when she looked at him like that. “And you? Is it your day off today? I lose count.”
“Yeah. I’ve taken on a few extra shifts next week for a friend, so he swapped for this week.”
“It must be hard for your body, getting used to all the time changes.” She gave him a sympathetic smile.
“You get used to it. I’ve been doing it for a long time.” He shrugged. “And I guess I don’t have anybody to answer to except myself. And the medical director.”
The oven timer rang out. Meghan walked over to the kitchen
and opened the door, checking on the tater tots and nuggets inside. “So I have a confession,” she told him.