“A unicorn has a horn on its forehead,” Tessa reminded her. “That’s a Pegasus.”
“Pegsis,” Sophia repeated. “She has wings.” Sophia proceeded to run around the room pretending to make the Pegasus fly. “Pretty, shiny wings.”
“Wow,” Zach said, “she’s got a lot of energy.”
He leaned forward, spreading his thighs and resting his forearms on his knees. His leg pressed against Tessa’s. If he noticed, Tessa couldn’t tell. He was distracted by Sophia and didn’t pull away, which meant Tessa was tortured by the heat of him seeping through his jeans and into her bare thigh beneath the hem of her cutoffs, because she sure as hell didn’t have the willpower to pull away herself.
Her mind fell backward in time, to the feel of all his naked muscle moving against her body. The heat of him. The power of him. Wild lust stirred deep in her belly and made her sex clench.
As Sophia knelt again and set her Pegasus gently on the table to stand on all four hooves, Tessa forced her mind from the sheets.
Sophia tore into her next present. As soon as the paper parted, Sophia gasped. Not just a regular gasp, but a high-pitched gasp. Her face was utterly comical, eyes wide, mouth dropped open. “Mommy! Mommy, look.” She clumsily pulled off the rest of the paper and stared at the box, her gaze roaming over every detail. “I don’t believe it. Mommy!”
“Oh my God…” Tessa whispered and dropped her head, squeezing her eyes closed.
“What?” Zach’s shoulder pressed hers as he leaned in and whispered, “What’s wrong? Did I get something she shouldn’t have?”
But Sophia’s squeals made her cringe. She leaned toward her daughter and pressed her fingers to her lips. “Inside voice, please.”
Instead of screaming, Sophia curled her hands into little fists, pulled them close to her body, and jumped in circles with muted cries of “Sparkle dollhouse—Sparkle dollhouse—Sparkle dollhouse…” as she fought to keep her excitement in check.
“What’s she doing?” Zach looked truly confused. “Is she okay?”
Tessa couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s called a subdued version of jumping for joy.”
“Then why did you have the opposite reaction?”
She pressed her hand to her temple. “How are we going to get it home?”
As soon as the words were out, Tessa realized what constituted “home” for Sophia was now up in the air.
“Oh, man.” Zach covered his eyes and groaned. “I didn’t even think about that.”
“Mommy, can we open it? Can we build it?”
Zach covered Tessa’s hand with his. “I’m sorry. I’ll… I’ll…” he said, searching for a solution. “I’ll just take it apart and ship it when I need to…I guess.”
Tessa’s mind traveled down the path of sharing Sophia with Zach, and how impossible that looked. Anxiety collected at the base of her skull and traveled over her shoulders.
“Mommy…” Sophia said, “can we build it?”
Tessa rested her chin in her hand. “What do you say to Zach?”
Sophia jumped to her feet, ran straight for Zach, and threw herself at him. Lucky for both of them, Zach had quick reflexes. He caught her, falling back against the sofa. “Holy…”
“Thank you, thank you.” She had a death hug on his neck. “Thank you. It’s perfect.”
The sight of her little girl in Zach’s arms knotted so many emotions, Tessa couldn’t begin to understand them all. She only knew tears rose to the surface. And judging by the expression on Zach’s face, she was pretty sure he was experiencing the same. He tentatively wrapped his arms around Sophia and looked at Tessa with confusion and awe, as if she could help him understand the chaos inside.
She just smiled, even though a piece of her heart was breaking—the part Sophia would soon give away to Zach.
When he decided Tessa wouldn’t be giving him the answers to the little universe he held in his arms, he closed his eyes in a look of love so deep, it hurt. Tessa knew because she’d felt it enough to recognize it.
When Sophia pulled back, grinning at Zach, he grinned back and brushed her hair away from her face in a tender gesture that twisted Tessa’s heart. “You’re welcome. I’m glad you like it.”
“I love it,” she cried, punching the air overhead with her trademark fists.
Then she scrambled to the floor and ran back to the box while Zach laughed.