Say It's Not Fake

“Do you have the kitchen sink in there too?” I asked with a grin, taking an apple slice.

“I’ve learned that you need to bring a little of everything, just in case. You never know when you’ll need a flashlight.” He pulled one out of the bag. “Or Katie’s favorite pair of socks.” He lifted a balled-up set of bright purple socks with orange polka dots. He rooted through the contents and pulled out something else. “Or a whiffle ball set, it seems.”

“If there’s ever an apocalypse, I know who to come to.” I took a bite of the apple. Katie was looking at a book and shoving crackers into her mouth.

“Take it easy, Bug,” Kyle coaxed, putting the sippy cup of juice to Katie’s mouth. With his daughter content with her book and snack, he stretched out his legs and braced himself on his elbows. “This is nice, Whit. Thanks for coming with us today.”

I crossed my legs and let my hair down from the bun I had put it in. I combed through the thick strands. “You need to stop thanking me, Kyle. This is what I do now. I come to the park with you and Katie. We have meals together. We go places together. That’s what families do, remember?”

I noticed Kyle watching me intently, his eyes following the movement of my hands in my hair. Then he cleared his throat and looked pointedly away. “I don’t want to overwhelm you. This is a lot to take on.”

“And I knew that when I agreed to marry you. So, stop feeling like you have to walk me through the shallow end first. I decided to take the plunge.”

“Dada. Seep.” Katie tossed her book aside and crawled into Kyle’s lap, her eyelids drooping. She snuggled into his chest; her cheek pressed against his shirt. She stuck her thumb into her mouth. I could tell by how quickly she got comfortable in her father’s lap that this was a usual place for her.

“Would you mind finding the stuffed monkey in her bag?” Kyle asked, sitting up so he could move Katie into a better position.

I found the tattered toy and handed it to him. Katie immediately tucked it beneath her chin and was asleep in a matter of minutes, her breathing deepening. Her thumb popped out of her mouth, and she let out a little snore.

“I think we’re going to be stuck here for a while. If I move her, she’ll wake up. And if she wakes up, prepare yourself for the reign of Godzilla.” Kyle cringed, and I laughed quietly.

“That’s fine, as long as there are more apple slices in that bag.”

“What’s mine is yours,” Kyle urged, and the way he said it made me warm inside.

Slowly, he laid back onto the blanket, careful not to disturb Katie. He wrapped one arm to secure her to his chest and stretched his other arm out to the side. He looked up at me, his eyes heavy. “Come lay down with us.”

“I don’t want to wake her up.” My heart hiccupped.

“She’s out like a light. As long as she’s laying on me, she won’t wake up. Promise.” He patted the space beside him.

“Well, okay then. I guess I could use a nap too. She makes it look appealing.” I gingerly laid down, leaving an inch or two between us. Not quite touching, but close enough to feel his body heat.

Ever so slowly, Kyle wedged his arm beneath my head and pulled me closer—ever so slightly.

I let out a contented sigh. I couldn’t help it. All of the tension I hadn’t realized I’d been holding onto evaporated in that instant with Kyle’s arm beneath my head and Katie’s soft, steady breathing.

“I know you said not to thank you. But thank you,” Kyle said softly.

My eyes started to drift closed, and I let myself sink into this comfortable serenity.

“I think I should be the one thanking you,” I said just as softly.

Chapter 11

Kyle

“Whitney, do you need a ride to the office?” I called out. I finished getting Katie’s bag together and left her sitting in the porta-crib I kept up in the living room. For the time being, she was content playing with her blocks.

In the two weeks since Whitney and I got married and she had moved in, I discovered she needed some prodding in the morning. She usually dashed out the door with five minutes to spare, leaving her purse behind, or her keys, or her phone—resulting in her having to rush back to get the things she left. I had started gathering her stuff the night before and putting them by the front door for ease.

I had a late start myself that morning, and now I was trying to do a hundred things to get ready for the day. Today was the official ribbon cutting of the new town center I had designed. It wasn’t a big ceremony, only a lunchtime gathering of local businesses.