Sometimes.
“That’s good,” she says, her eyes gleaming with a smile.
As she prepares to pull away, chocolate-smeared fingers attack me in a delicious war.
Stripes of ice cream melt on my face.
“Cool. That’s exactly what I needed, baby bear,” I say.
Emma laughs.
“I told you she was going to do that,” Sara says.
Smiling, she grabs a napkin and cleans Emma’s fingers before wiping the chocolate from my chin.
“By the way... I’ll be away next week,” I say, the words slipping out as I kiss Emma’s little fingers.
Sara cuts her eyes at me.
I sense her stare and questioning look, but I evade her gaze.
Instead, I flash a grin at Emma, who’s cooing in my arms.
“I’ll take two days off from work and leave on Thursday,” I say.
“Where?”
Her voice harbors a soft concern.
“Here in Florida. There’s nothing to be worried about,” I say, grinning again while pushing my chair back and lifting Emma at the same time. “Let’s wish mommy ‘Good luck!’”
Sara’s arms lock around us as Emma giggles, caught between us. To her delight, Sara and I kiss each other’s cheeks.
Emma’s hands shoot up in the air.
“Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” she says, and we kiss her cheeks.
Her eyes sparkle, filled with joy.
Sara breaks away, struggling to hide her overwhelming emotions. She collects her phone and purse and walks away, waving us goodbye from the doorway.
Emma and I head to the living room as soon as the door shuts.
“What else can I give to my baby bear?” I murmur, checking her toys.
“Story,” she says.
I stop and look at her.
“Story?”
She nods.
“Okay. Story it is. A story about a bear,” I say.
“Princess...” she mumbles.
“All right... We can do a princess.”