“Okay, Mommy, but where’s my daddy?”
I’ve always known this question was coming, but nothing prepared me for the pleading look in her eyes when she asks it. I’m her mother, which means it’s my job to protect and love her. It’s my job to make sure she always feels wanted and never hurts, especially when I can help it.
“Umm…” I’m totally stalling, having no clue how I’m going to explain any of this to her. Thank God for Kayla’s quick thinking.
“Oh, my goodness! Bella, I just remembered I have all the ingredients to make a batch of fudge brownies. Want to help me?”
Bella’s eyes light up and she jumps up and down cheering, “Yes. Yes. Yes,” forgetting all about the Daddy question for now.
Of course, when Kayla blurted out that she has the ingredients what she really meant was she has no ingredients. So now we’re on our way to the grocery store to pick up the stuff to make the brownies. I want to be annoyed, but I can’t be because she totally saved me. I have no idea what I would’ve said to Bella about her daddy. There’s so much going on in my head, but I know that the first thing I need to do is corner Cooper and tell him he has a daughter, even if he wants nothing to do with me. Once I know whether or not he wants Bella in his life, I can figure out my next move to ensure my daughter doesn’t get hurt.
We walk up and down the baking aisle, gathering all the ingredients to make my mom’s famous fudge brownies. Once we have everything we need, we’re heading to the checkout line, when I hear, “Excuse me Miss, I think your daughter dropped this.”
I turn around to the familiar voice and stare into the same beautiful green eyes my daughter has.
I’m stuck frozen in place as I catch the recognition in his eyes. First, that it’s me he’s speaking to, then at the fact he just referred to Bella as my daughter. His eyes turn cold and hard, his body visibly tensing, as he places all the pieces together in his head.
Slowly, I take the raggedy pink stuffed flamingo from him. “Thank you.”
Luckily, Bella breaks the uncomfortable moment with her sweet little self. “Mommy, my flamingo! I didn’t even see it drop.” She turns to Cooper. “Thank you. I love my flamingo. Mommy gave me it when I was a little, little, tiny baby, and she said it’s very special to her because somebody special gave it to her. You know what else I love?” She doesn’t even wait for him to answer. She just keeps on going in typical Bella fashion.
“I love Maleficent. It’s my most favorite movie ever. And there’s a dragon in the movie. I want the dragon so he can be friends with my flamingo. I asked my Mommy to buy me the dragon, but she said I have to ask Santa. Do you know how far away Christmas is? Like a gazillion trillion days away. I will die before I get my Maleficent dragon.”
I laugh quietly at her ranting away to Cooper. It’s her favorite movie right now, but by next month it’ll be something entirely different. I must be smiling outwardly because Cooper cocks his head to the side like he’s waiting for me to fill him in.
“She has a different favorite movie every month.”
One of his brows quirks up, and I realize that’s not what he was referring to. Oh, shit. He wants me to address the elephant in the room, or in our case the adorable four-year old standing next to me.
“Mommy, let’s go! You promised we would make Grammy’s brownies. Auntie Kay is waiting for us.”
She grabs my hand to pull me away, ignorant to the silent conversation currently taking place. When I don’t move, she looks up at me with a questioning stare.
Of course, this is the moment when Kayla decides to end her phone call outside and comes walking over oblivious to what’s happening. How she doesn’t see Cooper standing there boggles my mind. The guy is like a damn wall. He takes up so much space, it’s impossible not to notice him.
“Hey Liz, what’s taking so long? I thought for sure you would be done before I got off the phone with my boss. Now I’m craving some vanilla ice cream to go with the brownies.” She laughs but stops when she takes in the intense situation in front of her.
“Oh, fuck,” she spouts out before covering her mouth, remembering there’s a little person right here.
“Ooooohhhhh, Auntie Kay! You said a bad word.” Bella starts wagging her finger at Kayla like I do to her when I’m upset with her. Even though she’s so damn adorable, this does nothing to break the awkwardness surrounding us. Cooper is watching all of this probably thinking we’re nuts.