Page 133 of Paper Hearts

Eddie comes back, tripping over her nightgown in the process and the screen door hits the side of the house as she falls onto her hands and knees. “Damn it,” she grumbles, getting to her feet. Standing in front of me, she frowns. I shouldn’t let her curse, but it’s so dang cute when she does. “Where’s my cookie?”

“I’m going to get some coffee and I’ll grab it. You wait here.”

She looks up at the sky. “No way. I’m comin’ with you.”

She follows me inside, soft feet padding carefully over the tile floor, hair all over the place, tripping over my nightgown she won’t give up. I reach down and pick her up, retrieve her cookie and then pour two cups of coffee. She reaches over, grabs my cheeks, squeezes them together and turns my face to hers. “I not like storms.”

“I know you don’t, honey.”

Eddie stares at the steaming cup, the one I don’t put creamer in, and crinkles up her nose, her cookie in her hand. “I’m not drinking that.”

“I know. It’s for Ender.”

Her eyes light up at the same time she hears the screen door groan and the sky rumble again. She shivers in my arms. “How close is it?”

“Probably not far….” I press my lips to her warm cheeks, holding her closer and trying to carry two cups of coffee to the porch. “I got you though. Mama won’t let anything hurt you.” A pain stabs my chest at those words, thinking of Ender. He was her age the first time his dad hit him.

Thunder shakes the house as Eddie and I make our way to the screened-in porch. I set her down to carry the coffee and find Ender standing near the door wearing the same cargo shorts from last night and a US Navy T-shirt that’s splattered with rain drops. I bite my lip and hand him the coffee. “Little wet?”

He smirks and kisses my cheek as he takes the coffee. “That can be arranged.”

Smiling at Eddie who runs to him, he draws back when she wraps both her arms around his legs. “Hey, kid.”

I take a seat in the rocking chair as the rain picks up and Ender sits in the other one beside me. This time Eddie crawls into his lap and forces him to rock with her. He does, as if he’s been a dad for years.

Another loud crack of thunder bellows through the sky and Eddie jumps, clinging to Ender with wide eyes and her hands over her ears. Ender smiles at me and wraps his arms carefully around her.

The rain is so loud you can barely hear anything else. Sipping my coffee, I watch the two of them, Ender slowly rocking her, and Eddie’s face buried in his armpit. He chuckles but keeps his arms wrapped tightly around her and rubs her back. “You’re all right. See?” He smiles tenderly when she pulls back. “It didn’t hit the house.”

“Are you scared of lightin’ too?”

He adjusts her on his lap so her legs hang between his, but he keeps his left arm around her. “When I was younger, I was. Your age.”

Eddie snuggles in, watching the rain, and Ender presses his lips to the top of her head, their rocking chair creaking with each movement.

Leaning over, he takes a drink of his coffee at the same time Eddie holds up her cookie. “You want to share with me, Daddy?”

My eyes snap to Ender’s who’s looking at Eddie. He sucks in a breath, his shoulders tense, and he stops rocking. They stare at one another, and I wish I could see his eyes. I know I remember the first time she called me Mama and how my heart burst in my chest.

The corners of Ender’s lips rise, and he pushes Eddie’s hair from her face at the same time she shoves part of the cookie in his mouth. He laughs, chews slowly, and smiles. “Thank you. Your mama picked a good cookie.”

Eddie takes her own bite. “She did.”

His eyes finally shift to mine when Eddie has her head on his chest. There are tears in his eyes but no words are spoken, and unfortunately, he blinks and breaks eye contact with me just as easily.

Eddie finishes her cookie, runs inside when the lightning comes, and leaves Ender and me on the porch, drinking our coffee and listening to the rain. He gives me a head nod. “You look cold.”

“I’m not,” I assure him, pulling up the hood on the sweatshirt I stole from his room this morning.

“You’d be warmer over here,” he hints.

It dawns on me what he’s saying, so I stand and make my way over to him, sitting in the same spot Eddie had been. “How’d that feel?”

His arm wraps around my waist, the other on my thigh. “What?”

“Her calling you daddy.”

“I can’t even describe it.” Ender rests his forehead against mine. “Probably right up there with when you told me you loved me for the first time.”

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