“Nice to meet you.”
Maya stood back on the floor and struggled with the zipper on her coat, glancing at me.
“Can we have the same hair again?”
“I’m sure Amelia won’t mind braiding our hair.”
We took Maya out for lunch and over to a soft play area. I never would’ve pegged Thomas as someone who knew how to handle a three-year-old, but their connection was undeniable. Maya adored him, and Thomas’s features softened whenever he looked at her. I found it rather entertaining to watch him kick a ball with Maya.
“Can I have ice cream?” she asked when I helped her put the raincoat on since it was time to visit my brother.
“It’s December, sunshine,” Thomas said. “It’s too cold for ice-cream, but you can have a cookie.”
“What about me? I want a cookie too.”
Thomas leaned in to peck my lips. “Okay, two cookies it is.”
“Why do you kiss her all the time?” Maya asked, pulling a wool hat over her head.
“I don’t kiss her all the time.”
“Yes, you do.”
They bickered all the way to the bakery. Thomas bought a box of chocolate-chip cookies but made us wait until we arrived at the cottage to eat them.
“Hello!” Maya yelled from the threshold.
She skipped inside and stopped in the middle of the hallway. My brother emerged from the living room; his eyes looked heavy as if he had just woken up from an afternoon nap.
“Well, hello princess.” He took her hat off. “Is it raining?”
“Yes! We can’t feed the ducks. What will we do?”
Nick looked across the hall, freezing in place. Amelia joined the party, stopping next to her husband, equally dumbstruck to see Thomas help me out of my faux-fur coat. Maya looked over her shoulder, probably confused by the sudden silence, and averted her gaze to Nick, gesturing for him to come closer.
He came down on one knee, tilting his head to the side as if expecting her to whisper in his ear. Instead, she pointed to the zipper on her jacket. She was the most spirited little girl I ever came across. Not even Mel could make Nick dance to her tune with such ease.
“Thomas kisses Nadia all the time,” Maya blurted.
Mel’s mouth stretched into the signature Cheshire-cat grin, and I could almost hear her excitement.
“Not all the time,” Thomas feigned indignation. “Just a lot.”
Nick attempted to hide his smile, focusing on Maya who stomped her little foot and plopped down on the tiles to take her shoes off.
Thomas wrapped his arm around my stomach, drew me back, and pressed a kiss to my neck when Maya turned around again.
“See? All the time!”
Nick laughed. “Yes, I see, but that’s quite okay.”
Maya skipped into the kitchen, dropping the subject the kiddie way. We had spent five hours together, and I had yet to see her walk at a normal pace. Amelia watched us; her excitement was almost palpable.
“That’s my cue,” she said, rocking on her feet, trying her hardest not to run and hug me. “You’ve no idea how glad I am you’re back together,” she told us then entered the kitchen, ready to braid Maya’s hair.
“Go,” Thomas said in my ear, ceasing the opportunity to leave a kiss there. “I’m sure she has more questions than there are answers.”
Nick moved out of the way to let me pass, genuine joy on his face. Maya sat on a barstool with Amelia standing behind her, combing the long brown locks back…