Page 73 of Single Dad's Fake Bride
"And you're happy?"
Happiness seemed too simple for what I felt. Confused, maybe. Hopeful and terrified at the same time. But Mom sounded tired, and she had enough to worry about without adding my complicated emotions to the list.
"I'm where I need to be," I said, but I had no interest in hearing her lecture me again, so I said, "Mom, I have to use the toilet. Okay? I'll call you back later."
A soft knock at my door made me look up as I hung up the phone. "Come in."
Eloise peeked her head around the doorframe, her dark hair still messy from sleep. She wore purple pajamas covered in tiny cats, and she carried two dolls under her arm.
"Can we play?" she asked.
I smiled and patted the bed beside me. "Of course. What kind of game?"
She climbed up and arranged the dolls between us. One was a brunette in a blue dress, the other a blonde in pink. "This one can be the mom," she said, handing me the brunette, "and this one is the daughter. They live in a big house, and the daughter goes to a really nice school."
My chest warmed as I took the doll. "What's the mom's name?"
"Sarah. And the daughter is Emma. Sarah used to be sad because she lived alone, but now she has Emma and they're a real family."
I moved the Sarah doll closer to Emma. "What does Sarah do all day?"
"She teaches kids at school, and then she comes home and makes dinner. And she reads Emma stories every night before bed." Eloise made the Emma doll jump a little. "Emma loves the stories because Sarah has the best voices for all the characters."
The parallels weren't lost on me. Neither was the way Eloise kept looking at me when she talked about how much Emma loved having a mom who actually wanted to be there. I tried not to feel conflicted, but I was getting too attached. I knew it, and I couldn't seem to stop it. I felt like it didn't matter how careful we were. Everyone was going to be hurt when this arrangement was over.
The doorbell rang, interrupting my thoughts, and I took the opportunity to jump up. "I'll get it," I said, standing up and smoothing my hair back into a ponytail.
"Can we keep playing after?" Eloise asked.
"Absolutely."
I walked downstairs, aware that Harrison had left an hour ago for his weekly sparring session with Juan. He'd mentioned it the night before over dinner, explaining that he and Juan had been practicing mixed martial arts together since college. It was one of the few personal details he'd opened up to me about so far, and I didn't mind babysitting while he was out.
When I opened the front door, Kramer stood on the porch with a brown paper bag in his hands and his familiar crooked grin.
"Hope you don't mind my stopping by unannounced," he said. "I brought pastries from that bakery you love."
I hugged him, breathing in his familiar scent of coffee and cedar cologne. "I'm so glad you're here. Come in."
He stepped into the foyer and looked around, taking in the view. It was just a basic apartment, but bigger than the one I'd lived in for the past few years. Nothing compared to what I figured Harrison could afford, but comfortable.
"This is quite a place," he said, and I didn't miss the sarcasm in his tone.
"Eloise, come meet my friend," I called upstairs.
She appeared at the top of the staircase, still carrying both dolls. "Hi," she said, suddenly shy.
"Eloise, this is Kramer. Kramer, this is Eloise."
Kramer gave her a small wave. "Nice to meet you, Eloise. Are those your dolls?"
She nodded. "Mom was playing with me."
"That sounds fun." Kramer's eyebrows went up at the word "Mom" and he glanced at me. "Mind if I steal her for a little while? I brought some chocolate croissants."
Eloise's face brightened. "I love chocolate croissants. But I promised my friend Maya I'd come over when she woke up. She lives next door."
"Perfect timing, then," I said. "Why don't you get dressed and check if Maya's ready to play?"
