19. Daphne
Daphne
Standing in the middle of the apartment, I wasn’t sure what to expect.
I thought maybe I’d be sad or miss the place I had called home for so long.
I didn’t. There wasn’t even a twinge. My house stopped being a home when Dane cheated on me.
When Serena took great pleasure in telling me that Dane had fucked her in my bed, it was a betrayal so huge that it was almost like what I’d imagine being physically violated would be like.
It was like something was ripped from me forcibly that broke me so deeply that a year later I can still feel the hole it left.
I still grieve for the woman I used to be.
I smile as I look around the apartment. It looks remarkably clean and fully furnished.
It’s not what I expected it to be. The building had been empty, so I imagined it would be dusty, covered in cobwebs, and in desperate need of cleaning.
It’s much smaller than the house but is decorated in a way that makes the place feel roomy.
It’s done in earth-tones—which oddly enough is what my house is done in.
Dane hated it. His tastes are more vibrant with vivid reds, subdued blacks, with pops of orange.
He actually tried to get me to do my kitchen in bright orange.
I ignored him, but did make a concession of putting a large, orange vase in the middle of my white, marbled, waterfall island in my kitchen.
When I found out what a lying cheat he was, I slung it at his head. That thought makes me smile.
I look around the room again, concentrating on the here and now.
The walls are a soft beige which makes it look lighter in here but calming at the same time.
There’s a deep mossy green sectional that is soft to the touch, but microfiber so it’s easily cleaned.
There’s a matching oversized chair and they’re situated around a large ( very large) screened television.
That’s when I start to think there’s something rotten in Denmark.
The kitchen is small but has a full-size fridge, a stove, sink, and even a dishwasher.
I feel better seeing all of them don’t appear new.
There’s a small pantry, which will come in handy since there’s not a lot of cabinetry.
“What do you think, Cammie?” I ask, looking down at my daughter.
Her hand is in mine. Dad and Eli are standing by the small breakfast bar—which I assume serves as a table, too.
There’s not really room for one in here, which is fine.
Honestly, I’d probably be categorized as being a horrible parent, but Cammie and I usually eat in the living room.
The men look particularly nervous. I know they both want us to move here.
I should let them off the hook and tell them I’ve already decided to, but I kind of like how anxious they are.
It’s the first time that I’ve felt wanted by my dad in quite a while. He’s also completely sober again today.
“I want to see the big porch,” she says quietly, looking around.
I smile taking her out on the big deck out back.
Cammie practically squeals when we get there.
It is huge, big enough to put one of those pergolas on it.
There’s a grill cover and a brand-new grill out there, too.
I shake my head. Still, if I wasn’t sure that Eli or Dad—maybe both of them—hadn’t added furniture and a television to this place, the grill would have synched it.
I’m probably slow on the uptake, but a new grill, a new couch and television didn’t scream it was specifically for me and Cammie, however.
No, that was the swing with the canopy over it and then a small individual swing that is in my daughter’s favorite pink color.
There’s also a small outside playhouse in the same pink I look up at my dad and Eli who have followed us out.
They grin outright. Dad moves over to Cammie as she checks out her Little Tikes Playhouse.
I walk over to Eli with a smile on my face.
“We’re very lucky that the place comes fully furnished,” I murmur as he slides his hands into his pants pocket.
I’m mildly disappointed that he doesn’t put his arms around me, but then again, we haven’t talked about what we are to one another—other than that one kiss which somehow branded me.
“Plus, the previous owners were really nice to leave their child’s toys here. ”
He clears his throat. “Pretty lucky,” he says, and I fight my laugh.
“ Very lucky. I mean they look brand new.”
“Nah, if you look closer, I think you can see some dirt on them,” he argues, his eyes sparkling.
“Really? Well, still it’s nice of them. Not many people would do that.”
“They must be amazingly good people,” I add. “I mean, they also left their new barbecue grill.”
“I doubt it’s new,” he argues, his ears kind of pink.
“Hmm … The price tag still on the back of it says you’re wrong,” I supply helpfully.
“Fuck,” he whispers. “I told Apex to make sure he took that off.”
“Apex?”
“One of the members,” he says, scratching his fingers against the scruff on his chin. “And the big screen television?”
“Cammie needed something nice to see her movies on,” he reasons. “Plus, I figured there might be a time when I was here and watching a game or something,” he adds scrubbing his hand over the back of his neck.
His words send a thrill through me. I can’t hold back any longer, so I wrap my arms around him. “Thank you.”
He tenses up at first and then, after I thank him, he softens and hugs me back.
“You like it?”
“Well, I haven’t seen it all yet, but I love it. I especially like the idea of you coming over to watch the game,” I add, tilting my head back to look up at him. The grin that stretches across his face feels like sunshine bathing me in its light.
He leans down so he’s whispering in my ear. “You make it really hard not to kiss you in front of your daughter and father right now.”
“That’s because I really want your kiss,” I confess.
“Damnit,” he groans. Just as he dips down and his lips barely brush mine, Cammie yells out.
“Mama! I wanna see where my room is posta’ be. Papaw said it was pretty!”
I grin up at Eli, while patting my hands flat against his chest. “First thing to know when dating a single mother, Eli, is that kids pipe up at the most inopportune times.”
“Is that what we’re doing? Dating?” he asks.
“Well, I guess we haven’t technically gone on a date, but …” I stop abruptly, starting to get nervous. Did I overstep? Shit. I can’t remember dating. Dane was my high school sweetheart. Which explains why I married him—I was too young and way too dumb.
Eli leans down and kisses my forehead. “I’m not sure I’ve ever truly dated, but I like the idea of doing it with you. I’m serious about you, Skittles. If you can handle everything that I need to tell you about myself, then you need to know that I’m all in. I don’t want to lose you.”
“That doesn’t sound ominous at all,” I murmur, kissing his cheek before transferring my attention back to my daughter.
“Well? Let’s go find your bedroom!” I respond with excitement, purposefully to add to Cammie’s. I want this, but I need to make sure my daughter is happy, too.
Dad leads us to the first room in the small hall.
It’s a bathroom-slash-washroom. There’s a stacked washer-dryer unit in the corner.
A tub with shower, commode and small sink.
On the wall by the washer and dryer there’s a homemade shelf that I assume is made to put detergent and things on.
Underneath it is a mounted closet rod, to hang clothes on.
It’s not ideal, but it will be fine for me and Cammie.
Cammie doesn’t really have anything to say about it.
It’s tiny but the white bead board and bright yellow accents help it not to feel closed in.
Straight across from it is another door.
Dad opens it and I swear it feels like my heart stops for a minute.
Inside the room is a bedroom that was clearly designed for Cammie.
The paneled walls are painted a bright white, yet one wall is ballerina pink.
There are fake flowers hung on the wall.
A shelf that is holding a princess crown with pink gemstones.
There’s a small loft bed, especially designed for toddlers because it’s got three wide steps instead of a ladder to the top.
The bed is white with Olaf bedding on it.
The bottom part has a pink curtain that makes it look like the entrance to a castle.
Cammie cries out in happiness from beside me and the first thing she does is dive into the make-believe castle under her bed.
Inside, I can see one of those Olaf beanbag chairs and new coloring books and crayons that are the big ones so Cammie can grip them easier.
Cammie comes out holding Frozen coloring books and a stuffed Olaf that is over half her size.
“Mommy! Is this really my room?” she says, her face happier than I’ve seen it all year.
“It is if we stay here. I think your Papaw and Eli fixed it especially for you.”
She turns to look at them. “You did?” she says, her voice full of wonder.
“We wanted you to like it, Pixie. Pez and I really would like to have you and your mommy closer to us.”
Cammie runs into my dad’s arms, and he lifts her up easily, hugging her close.
Tears sting my eyes as Eli comes to stand beside me, his arm going around my back as his hand rests on my hip.
My grin only deepens as Cammie climbs carefully up to her bed and tells her papaw how he’ll have to read to her standing up because her bed is so high.
In reality it’s only about waist high on my dad, but he plays along exaggerating how he’s never seen a real princess bed before and he bets it’s just like Cinderella’s after she moved into the castle with the prince.
I shake my head, feeling more content than I ever remember feeling before.
Eli leans down and points to the small door across from the bed. “That’s the closet. There are a few new outfits in there, mostly because I couldn’t help myself,” he explains.
“I don’t even know what to say at this point, Eli.”
“Would you like to see your bedroom?”
“I’m not sure it’s safe to be in there with you right now,” I tell him, meaning every single word.
“I would never do anything you don’t want, Daphne. More importantly, I would never try anything with your father and daughter in the next room.”
“It’s not you I’m worried about right now, Eli,” I mutter.
His body goes rigid and when I look up, he’s staring at me with a mixture of shock and happiness on his face.
I roll my eyes and walk toward the room at the end of the hall.
I open it without much thought, but I lose my breath when I look in the room.
It’s bigger, almost the size of the living area and kitchen.
It’s a little unusual. The floor is all tiled and one end is the bathroom.
There’s a big shower, a decent sized sink, and also a large vanity.
There’s a door beside the shower and one out from the vanity.
My gaze moves to a seating area that’s out from the shower.
It looks like it is set up for a person who reads.
There’s a bookcase beside the oversized chaise.
There’s a big bed. I’m going to say it’s definitely a king.
There’s a coverlet on top in the color of coral and khaki.
It has little flowers on the underside that you can see when it’s turned over.
The top side is completely coral with just a border line of the khaki.
There’s a mound of pillows on top, too. There are matching nightstands on each side with small lamps.
At the foot of the bed is a matching cabinet.
There’s a remote on the cabinet and when I pick it up, Eli leans over and pushes a button.
Slowly a TV rises out of the cabinet. It’s a nice size.
I’d say maybe a sixty inch. I look at Eli.
“Are you planning on watching the game in my bedroom, too?”
He grins. “The last thing I want to do in your bedroom is watch television, Skittles. I just figured on those nights when you missed me so much and had to watch it to get to sleep.”
“Do you think we could stop with just one kiss, Eli? Because I really want to kiss you right now.”
“Let’s find out,” he suggests, pulling me into his arms.
We didn’t stop with one kiss. I lost count at four, but we kept at it until Dad banged on the door asking if we were ready to see the downstairs. I wasn’t and I don’t think Eli was either. But we went anyway.