Chapter One
Dustin
“Come on, kiddo, just a few more bites,” I urged, “If you finish all your carrots, maybe I can convince Papa to take us out for ice cream later.”
Brianna’s little face lit up. “Ice cream?” she asked hopefully, her faint lisp coloring the words.
I grin. “You bet.”
“Sprinkles?” her big brown eyes widened to cartoon-puppy levels of irresistible cuteness.
I laugh. “Only if you eat every last bite.”
She eagerly stabbed her fork into a bright orange slice of cooked carrot and stuffed it into her mouth.
“That’s my girl,” I leaned over and pressed my lips to my daughter’s forehead.
It takes a little bit more coaxing, but eventually she finishes all of the veggies proudly. I hoist her out of the highchair and settle her in the living room with her blocks to play while I get some work done on my laptop.
Or at least, that was my intention, but the design I’m working on isn’t feeling particularly inspired. My motivation wanes quickly and I keep looking over at Brie, watching her play.
There’s something about her face when she’s focused that makes her look just like her mother. She looks a lot like Sarah to begin with, the same dark features, but when she’s really intent on something, the resemblance is downright uncanny.
Sometimes it hurts, to look at her and see so much of my late wife, but more often, it just makes me happy to know that this bright, beautiful piece of her is still alive in our daughter.
It isn’t too terribly long before the front door swings open and Rudy arrives home. “Papa!” Brie crows excitedly and pushes herself to her feet.
She toddles over to him as fast as her little legs will allow and he swings her up into his arms. “Hi, Princess,” he smiles at her, but I can see that it’s strained, “Did you have a good day with Daddy?”
She nods enthusiastically. “Can we get ice cream?” she asks immediately.
He glances at me and this time, there’s a little more sincerity in his smile. “Daddy bribed you, didn’t he?”
“What’s ‘bribed’?”
“Never mind. We’ll go get ice cream in a little while, baby girl, ok?” He grabbed the TV remote and switched the channel over to one of Brie’s favorite shows, this animated educational thing calledOctonauts.
“Peso?” Brie asks excitedly.
The character is her favorite, a little penguin with a Spanish accent. “Yes, ma’am,” Rudy says with forced cheer, “You watch Peso for a little bit and then Daddy and I will take you for ice cream.”
She happily settles in front of the TV and loses herself in the cutesy little undersea adventure and Rudy pulls me down the hall to our bedroom. “What’s going on?” I ask him immediately, “Something happen at work?”
“Not at work,” he shakes his head, tugging his scrub top over his head and swapping it for a t-shirt, “I take it you haven’t checked your e-mail today?”
“No, why?”
He tugged his phone from his pocket, tapped at it for a moment, then handed it to me. My eyes fall to all the stuff in the subject line so I can see who it might be from and immediately recognize the e-mail address of our nanny.
I scan the message hastily and I can understand Rudy’s annoyance. “So wait, we’re just screwed come Monday?” I ask incredulously.
“Yup,” he pronounces the ‘P’ with an audible pop.
The gist of the message is that Nina will no longer be nannying for us, with no warning. Which means that we have half a Saturday and one Sunday to find a replacement sitter. “Fuck,” I groan in annoyance, “I knew she was flaky, but this is a new low.”
“I know,” Rudy pulls a pair of jeans from a drawer and strips off the bottoms of his scrubs.
In spite of my souring mood, I can’t help but stare a little at my partner while he’s bent over in nothing but his briefs. The navy blue cotton clings to the perfect curves of his tight ass, and it’s a sight worth admiring.