Page 63 of Scoop Me Up
Sam came from the kitchen, beaming when they saw us. “Hi, Ellie!”
I furrowed my brow in mock-confusion. “What am I, imitation maple?”
They snorted and shook their head. “I’d never call you that. You’re the real thing.”
My heart skipped a beat.Does that mean… No, they’re just playing along with the joke. Right?Before I could say anything else, or even formulate a response, I noticed Ellie had slipped off. She’d found one of the painters and he was teaching her patiently how to dip the brush, wipe it off, and then swipe it along the wall to add color.
Ellie turned and smiled at me. “Look, Daddy! Look, Mix! I’m doing it!”
The smile on Sam’s face was soft and fond. “You sure are, El.” They headed to Ellie to help and watch in equal measures, and as they stood there, working together, my chest tightened. For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. Watching them felt too much like watching Jennifer with Ellie—with one major difference. I’d loved Jennifer, but never with the ferocious intensity of emotion the way I felt about Sam. I’d come to terms with the fact that I was in love with Sam, not that I’d told them that, yet. Seeing them with my daughter though? It felt like we were all a little family.
I’d always thought I wanted a life like this someday. A family, someone to share my days and nights with, someone Ellie could be comfortable with. It seemedsomedayhad come when I wasn’t paying attention.
We all helped for several hours before Ellie started to complain that she was hungry. “Daddy,” she said with a whine.
“Okay, Bug,” I conceded. “I’ll go get us some pizza. How does that sound?”
She jumped up and down. “Yes!”
“Good.” I ignored the urge to kiss Sam goodbye and headed out. It took me about a half hour to order pizza on a mobile app, drive to a neighboring town to pick it up, and return, and when I came back, I had two boxes of pizza, steaming and ready to eat.I had to admit, Ellie was right—it was dinnertime. I was starving too.
I entered the shop with the pizzas in hand and immediately heard laughter coming from the kitchen. I put the pizzas on the counter and called out to them. “Hello? Anyone hungry?”
“We’re in the back,” Sam called.
I made my way into the kitchen and around the corner until I found Sam and Ellie, paint smears and speckles on each of their faces. “What happened here?”
Ellie dissolved into giggles and looked at Sam, who just shrugged. “Don’t ask me. I left Ellie in charge and the next thing I know…”
She giggled harder and I shook my head, smiling at them both, my heart warmed by the sight. “Well, why don’t you two go get cleaned up and we’ll have pizza?”
“Pizza!” Ellie cheered.
Sam led Ellie to the bathroom so they could wash their hands and I put the pizzas out, along with bottles of water I’d gotten for everyone. They returned and we all ate quietly, Sam and Ellie flatly refusing to tell me any more about what had led to the paint incident, both of them just looking at each other and laughing every time I asked.
As we finished eating, Ellie began to yawn and quiet down. I asked if she was okay and she just nodded.
“Want me to take you home, Bug?” I asked as she yawned again.
“Here,” Sam said. “I’ll carry her, and we can both walk her home.”
“You don’t have to do that,” I protested.
Sam shook his head. “It’s fine. I don’t mind it. Right, El?”
Ellie nodded and rubbed her eyes, so Sam scooped her up and let her rest her head on their shoulder.
As we walked back to Jennifer’s house, emotion rose in my throat, making it hard to swallow.This is how it’s supposed to be,I thought.And I never want to let it go.At Jennifer’s, Sam quietly tucked Ellie into her bed and read her a story while I watched from the doorway. Jennifer came up behind me to watch as well.
“You really won the lottery,” she murmured, just loud enough for me to hear. “Don’t you dare let that one go.”
I looked back at her, tears pricking my eyes. “I’ll do my best not to.”
She nodded and patted me on the shoulder. “That’s all youcando.”
“Yeah,” I whispered, knowing it was damn near time to lay it all on the line, come what may.
Chapter 25
