Page 26 of Big Bad Single Wolf Dad

“Everything’s clean!” Lily announces proudly, a wide grin spread across her face.

“Yeah, we put everything away!” I hear Ethan chime in from Sarah’s side. “All the toys are in the toy box and the books are on the bookshelf.”

“And we even folded the blankets!” adds Mia with a smile that matches Lily’s.

There are four or five more announcements of which things were put away and where in an endearing attempt to plead their case.

Kids are the real pros of negotiation, I think to myself with a chuckle. I only hope Sarah will be won over by their business savvy. I need no convincing on my part.

“And Julia didn’t even have to help!” Lily adds in a last-ditch attempt to talk up their efforts.

I glance over to where Julia stands in the doorway and raise an eyebrow.

“Remarkably, it’s true,” she says with a smile. “They really did everything.”

I chuckle. “Well, that’s quite something,” I say, genuinely impressed. “Well done.”

But the kids aren’t happy with just words of praise. They want Sarah and I to hold up what they perceive to be our end of the bargain, and I can already see they won’t be happy if we let them down.

I glance back over at Sarah who still seems a little hesitant, but there’s a smile on her lips as she thinks it over. The kids are practically vibrating with anticipation and finally, Mia breaks the silence that’s settled over the table.

“Pleeeaaase Mom?” she asks impatiently.

Sarah looks up at me with a shy smile and I know what she’s going to say a second before she says it.

“Why not?” she says, fixing me with a gaze that speaks volumes more than her words do. “Let’s have a sleepover.”

The kids erupt into celebration, hugging Sarah and me and filling the dining room with excited yells. It’s immediate chaos, but at least it’s happy chaos and luckily Julia steps in to help corral the five over-hyped children into a semblance of order.

“Alright, come on,” she tells them, straining to have her voice heard over the rabble. “Let’s get you all set up and ready for bed.”

“Thank you, Julia,” I say as the kids settle down ever so slightly.

She turns to smile at me before ushering the kids out of the room and upstairs, leaving Sarah and me alone.

I don’t want to make this weird, so I stand from the table and Sarah seems relieved to follow suit. This doesn’t have to be a big deal, and I get the feeling she still needs to take things slow. Just because I feel ready to pursue something more meaningful here doesn’t mean she is, and I know I need to walk the line between showing interest and applying pressure very carefully.

“I hope you don’t feel like you have to stay just because of the kids,” I tell her, trying to hit the mark between casual and considerate.

As we wander slowly out of the dining room and towards the kids’ rooms, she looks up at me and smiles. It’s still shy, but there’s warmth in her expression, too.

“No, I wanted to stay,” she says, almost coyly. I wonder if she means it to be.

I grin back. “I’m glad. I want you to stay too.”

I hope, once again, that the words aren’t too forward, but she doesn’t shy away. Instead, she smiles at me, a little spark in her eyes this time, and I wonder if she’s feeling as giddy as I am.

I remind myself not to get carried away, though, tempering my excitement with pragmatism. Baby steps, I remind myself. The last thing I want is to scare her off.

If she needs to go slow, that’s fine with me. I’m a patient guy.

14

SARAH

My heart feels so much conflict. I’ve found myself growing attached to Greg and the strange, amazing, blended family we’re slowly making. But I’ve been down this road before. And I desperately don’t want my heart to be shattered again. I don’t think it would survive being stepped on so thoroughly one more time.

Yet in spite of that fear, I’m finding myself trusting this. Trusting my feelings, and my heart that’s aching to be full again.

---