“It’s true,” I affirm with a nod of my head. “Some songs make no sense, but people love them because sometimes we need an escape.”
“An escape?” She questions as she studies me. “Is that like a way out?”
“Kind of,” I say with trepidation, unsure I’m equipped to handle this conversation.
My interaction with kids has been limited to my time with my younger brothers.
I don’t see them often, but we do video chat a couple of times a month. Most of those conversations are limited to them telling me which video games they are mastering.
Berk walks toward where Stevie and I are sitting. “What Astrid means is that sometimes people just want to have fun. They want to dance and laugh, and a song with silly lyrics is perfect for that.”
Stevie moves to grab the poetry book in my lap.
She carefully places it on the floor next to her before her guitar is back in her hands. “I’m going to play the dolphin eats cake song. You two escape.”
Berk perks a brow. “You want us to escape?”
“Dance.” She pushes against me with her elbow. “Dance with my dad while I sing a silly song. Escape together.”
Berk offers his hand to me. “I’m in. How about you, Astrid?”
I place my hand in his and let him guide me to my feet. “I’m in too.”
Stevie lets out a high-pitched giggle, and then strums one chord over and over on the guitar as she belts out a musical story about a brown-haired girl, her dolphin friend and the chocolate cake they both love.
Berk spins me around, dips me, and we laugh in unison as the air is filled with nothing but the sounds of happiness.
An hour later, I follow Berk and his daughter into her bedroom.
The night has been magical so far, and I’m looking forward to a few moments alone with Berk before I head home.
“I need to choose two stuffed animals to sleep with before I put on my pajamas,” Stevie announces as she races toward a wicker basket overflowing with toys. “Budley is a no-brainer.”
“Budley?” I question, holding in a laugh.
“My sister has a dog named Dudley,” Berk says, pointing at a stuffed Yorkie on the bed. “That little guy there is Budley. He’s Dudley and…”
“He’s my buddy,” Stevie interrupts as she scoops the stuffed dog into her arms. “So he’s Budley.”
“That’s clever.” I chuckle. “Budley is adorable.”
Stevie nods before she starts tossing some of the stuffed animals onto the hardwood floor at her feet.
“Stevie?” Berk moves closer to her. “You’ll need to pick all of those up before you go to bed.”
“I know.” She nods. “I’m looking for one. I have one without a name, but I know its name now.”
Berk bends down to scoop a stuffed bunny, a snail, and a lion with a huge mane into his hands. “Which one?”
“I found it!” Stevie screams. “This is it!”
She holds tightly to the wing of what looks like a stuffed robin. With one quick tug, she has it free from the pile.
“You found a name for it?” Berk asks as he continues to snatch up the stuffed animals from the floor before tossing them back on the pile.
“For her,” Stevie corrects him as she cradles the small bird in her arms. “This is Becky. This is Becky the bird.”
“Becky the bird,” I repeat softly.
Stevie nods before she snatches the lion from Berk’s hands. “Becky is best friends with Layna. She’s a lion.”
Berk turns to look at me, and I see the same emotion I feel swimming in his eyes.
“Do you think your Becky Byrd would like this Becky?” Stevie asks.
I hold back a sob as I answer, “I know that she would love it.”
“Good.” Stevie kisses the lion on the head. “I think tonight I’ll break my rule and sleep with three of my toys.”
Berk presses a kiss to her forehead. “That’s a great idea.”
I’m about to step forward to hug Stevie when a phone starts ringing in the distance.
Berk’s hand dives into the inner pocket of his suit jacket. “I’ve got mine. It must be yours, Astrid.”
I left mine in the music room. I want to ignore it, but I shouldn’t.
It could be the alarm company. I take every precaution to keep Vinyl Crush safe, but I’ve dealt with two break-ins since I took over the store.
“I better get it,” I say. “It could be a problem with the store.”
“That’s important.” Stevie points a finger toward the door of her bedroom. “Daddy will tuck me in. I had fun tonight, Astrid.”
“I did too,” I whisper before I turn and walk out of the room, knowing I’ll remember this night for the rest of my life.
Chapter Forty-Six
Berk
“Is everything all right?” I question Astrid as soon as I walk into the kitchen and find her sipping from a glass of water.
After I tucked Stevie into bed, she fell asleep two sentences into her bedtime story. It started with a brown-haired girl, her dad, and a pretty singer looking for a penguin.