Page 24 of Irresistible Valentine

Malcolm took a deep breath before he opened the door to prepare himself for the sight of Derrick standing there, looking impossibly handsome. It didn't work. Derrick looked so good, a little different than at the office, and he had this bright, irresistible look in his eyes that made Malcolm's heartbeat stutter and his legs go weak. He barely managed to greet him like a human being.

Paula ran up to them and Derrick said to her, "Hello, Paula. Are you ready for some ice ballet?"

"Yes. And you're here, Mr. A," she said sweetly looking so happy to see him.

"I think it's a treat for her just to see you," Malcolm told him while Paula turned her face up to him with a smile.

"I've missed you at the office. It's not the same without you," Derrick said to her and she ducked her head shyly.

They could barely hear her when she said, "Me too. I miss Uncle Malcolm at the office and you too, Mr. A." Then she got more animated and told them, "Watch me. I'm a ballerina."

Her idea of being a ballerina was spinning and spinning all around the living room in her cute, purple dress. Derrick was impressed, telling her, "You're a great ballerina."

When her spinning brought her back towards them, Derrick held Paula's hand and helped her take a few more turns before it was time to go.

Paula's eyes were big as they arrived at the ice rink. She looked around excitedly though all there was to see were other people going in to see the performance. All the people weren't making her nervous at least, and there were plenty of other kids in the audience who were also excited to be there.

Inside the rink, they took their seats and Paula squirmed, impatient for the performance to begin. Then the lights dimmed and music filled the air. Paula gasped in delight and kicked her feet as the ice skaters came out accompanied by sweeping lights and swirling snowflakes. Once the show started, she clapped her hands and swayed in her seat to the music. She was mesmerized, her eyes shining.

The ice skaters were dressed for ballet and doing well known stuff likeSwan LakeandThe Nutcracker, plus other stuff Malcolm never heard of.

"They're dancing like me," Paula said, pointing excitedly as the skaters performed spins. She was in awe of them. "So fast."

Malcolm laughed, and looked over at Derrick then stared at him too long. He made this happen and Malcolm was very grateful to him.

All through the performance, Malcolm glanced at Derrick a lot, watching him more than the show. Derrick was doing the same so their eyes met a lot and Malcolm couldn't look away.

The show ended and the audience applauded and people threw flowers on the ice. Paula was clapping and cheering with the rest but she got sad that it was over so Malcolm consoled her. "The ice skaters have to rest. They did a lot of dancing and spinning."

"OK," Paula said.

On the way out, Paula held Malcolm's hand and then she took Derrick's too. "You don't wanna get lost," she told him since they were in a crowd as everyone was heading to their cars.

Smiling, Derrick looked down at her and said, "It's so nice to walk with you. Did you like the show?"

"It was so good," Paula said and did a little wiggly dance.

"Thanks for bringing us," Malcolm told Derrick.

"You're welcome. Thank you for inviting me to come with you," Derrick said and his gaze stayed on Malcolm, who smiled at him. He might not know what was going on between him and Derrick, but it felt good to spend time with him and Paula, making her happy.

"I thought we might go to dinner," Derrick said when they reached his car.

Malcolm hesitated for just a minute then he looked down at Paula. "We could eat," he said and Paula nodded in agreement. "Watching ice ballet is hungry work."

Derrick took them to a fancy Italian place. There wasn't one pizza on the menu. Malcolm decided to be brave and try pasta with pears and artichokes, and Paula got some big, stuffedmeatballs on top of her spaghetti. She ate around the sage and cheese stuffing.

"The stuffing is not for kids," she informed Derrick and Malcolm.

With a little prompting, Paula told them about all her favorite parts of the show, which were all the parts of the show. Malcolm was still a little uneasy around Derrick so it was easier to make Paula the center of the conversation.

By the time Derrick drove them home, Paula was asleep. Malcolm scooped her up in his arms to carry her up. They had transferred her car seat to Derrick's car. He removed it. "I'll carry this up for you. Or do you want to put it in your car now?"

"You can bring it up," Malcolm decided. It made more sense to stick it in his car, but he wanted Derrick to come up with them. He didn't want their time together to end.

Together, they made their way up to the apartment, Derrick holding the door open for Malcolm. Going to Paula's bedroom, Malcolm laid her down gently in her dress and took off her coat and shoes. He pulled the covers over her and kissed her forehead.

"You're not going to wake her to get ready for bed?" Derrick asked in a whisper as Malcolm came out of her room.

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