34
K nox surveyed as the kids played flag football. They’d broken them up by age group. That way, the older kids didn’t risk accidentally hurting the younger ones. While the different age groups played, there were other things for the kids to take part in. There was face painting, balloon animals, art stations, water balloons, hula hoops, an obstacle course, and a few food trucks. They took over the football stadium.
It was the day’s second game, and the kids were having a blast. They’d let the youngest group play first, and it was just a chaotic mess of children running around and trying to take each other’s flags regardless of who had the ball. He hadn’t expected it to be any other way, and as long as they had fun, he and Ezra didn’t care how they played.
Knox glanced over to where the art stations were. After the first game, Aiva and Yasmine went to sit at one of the tables and draw while his daughter talked to Aiva about who only knew what. From the smiles on both their faces, they were enjoying whatever the conversation was about.
He returned his attention to the game as one team cheered while Ezra yelled touchdown. He and Coen, who was overseeing the obstacle course, were probably having more fun than the kids. Wolfe had taken it easy and sat in a lounge chair, ensuring no child fell and hurt themselves while hula hooping.
When the game ended, and the flags were returned, he and Ezra placed them to the side. There was one more game, but they’d scheduled it for later in the afternoon. Knox went over to Aiva and Yasmine, looking over their drawing.
“Hi, Daddy,” Yasmine greeted as he sat beside her.
“Hey, sweetie. Those are some pretty flowers.”
“Thank you. These are all the flowers I remember from Nana’s garden.”
“She’s been teaching me about some of them,” Aiva stated as she set her crayon aside. “She really likes flowers.”
“And vegetables. Nana grows a couple in her garden,” Yasmine added.
“Every time we visit my parents, it’s the first place she wants to go,” Knox stated.
“I wish I could grow my own garden, but they wouldn’t get enough sunlight inside the house. Nana says some things don’t do well in small spaces either,” Yasmine stated absently as she colored the stem of a flower.
“That’s true,” Aiva responded. “Some things need space because they grow to be quite big. Like a rose bush or a cornstalk.” She paused for a second. “If you want to, you can start a little garden in my backyard.”
Yasmine’s head shot up, and her eyes widened. “Really? I can?!”
Aiva laughed. “Yes, if that’s okay with your dad.”
“Can I?” Yasmine asked hopefully as she looked at him.
“I don’t see why not.”
“Can we do it today?” Yasmine questioned.
“It’ll be late when we leave here, but we can go to the store to get seeds and plants in the morning and do it before it gets too hot out,” Aiva suggested.
“Yes, please,” his daughter responded with a smile and an enthusiastic nod. “Can Kaley come and help us?”
“I’ll call her mom and see,” Aiva responded.
They sat there for the next ten minutes while Yasmine finished her drawing, and she spoke excitedly about her little garden and how excited she was. When she finished her picture, she asked if she could go hula hoop, and Knox felt comfortable letting her go alone since Wolfe was there.
Aiva folded Yasmine’s drawing gently, placing it into a drawstring bag she’d brought with her that contained sunscreen, bug spray, and hand sanitizer. There had also been three visors in it, but she’d put on one and given the other two to him and Yasmine.
“Are you sure you’re okay with her starting her garden in your backyard?” Knox asked once Yasmine was safe with Wolfe.
“I wouldn’t have offered it if I wasn’t. Besides, I have this area that would be perfect for starting a small garden. It’s already sectioned off into two areas, like whoever lived there before might have had one, but they took all the plants with them.”
“She will want to come by often to check on it. She does the same thing with my mom.”
Aiva shrugged. “I don’t mind if you’re okay with that.”
Knox reached over and grabbed her hand, kissing her knuckles. “It means I get to see you, so I’m not complaining.”
“I suppose you’re smooth or whatever,” she teasingly responded.
He chuckled. “I told the guys about the cruise, and Ezra is coming. Wolfe and Coen have commitments they can’t get out of.”
“No worries. We’ll have to let them know sooner next time.”
Knox liked the sound of next time. It meant that they were both on the same page. Intermingling their families and friends was a step usually only taken when you were serious about the relationship. Though he had been from the moment he asked her out, he hadn’t expected her to be right away. It hadn’t taken him long to realize she was, too.
When Yasmine skipped over twenty minutes later, they got food from one of the food trucks and sat at a table under a canopy. Wolfe, Ezra, and Coen joined them a few minutes later when someone else took over the obstacle course and hula hoop areas to give them a break.
Aiva laughed when Yasmine picked up the pickle spear from Wolfe’s plate that he’d told Coen he could not have and passed it to the other man.
“You don’t even like pickles,” Yasmine stated. “So, you can share it.” She held up her boat of nachos. “Here, you can have one of my nachos to make you feel better.”
“He’s a completely different person when Yas is around. She’s got him wrapped around her finger,” Coen stage whispered to Aiva.
“I see that,” she responded. “But I’ve heard he isn’t the only one,” she teased, and Coen made a noncommittal sound. “Yas,” Aiva called, gaining her attention. “I’m going to need you to teach me how to do that.”
“To share?” Yasmine asked, confused. “You’re already good at sharing.”
The adults laughed at her response, and Knox caught Aiva’s eyes. “I already told you that you do.”
She smiled at him. “I know, but it never hurts to make sure it sticks.”
“Trust me. It’s sticking.”
“Get a room,” Ezra mumbled, and Knox rolled his eyes. But he might have to see if he could make that happen.
A iva sat beside Kaley and Yasmine as they planted the flowers they’d picked up from the gardening section that morning. She’d been sure to get pairs of gardening gloves, sun hats, and little spades for them to have the total experience. Music played from the Bluetooth speaker on the patio table, and the two girls sang along. Knox had stepped inside to order pizza for lunch.
She’d been letting the two do the planting independently, only stepping in when they had an issue or asked her to. They were using one side to plant the different flowers they’d picked up and the other for the vegetables. They’d started with the flowers since both girls seemed excited to see how pretty it would look when it was finished.
Even as careful as they were, Aiva knew both girls would need a bath when done. They were inside the boxed-off area in the dirt. It was on their shorts, and they’d already got a few smudges on their faces.
When Knox returned from inside, they were halfway finished with the flowers. They were taking their time, spacing them apart as evenly as possible, so each one had space to grow. Yasmine had told her she enjoyed gardening with her grandmother, but she hadn’t thought the five-year-old would take it so seriously. It was clear she wanted the best garden she could have.
Knox watched with her, letting the kids do their thing for the next twenty-five minutes while he checked the delivery tracker. When it showed the driver was pulling up, he went inside to retrieve their lunch.
“Come on, girls. Let’s take a break for lunch, and then we’ll start on the vegetables,” Aiva told them. “Let’s go inside and get you cleaned up some.”
“Can we eat lunch outside, Aiva?” Kaley asked once they’d washed their hands, and she’d cleaned their faces.
“Sure. You can go back outside, and I’ll get Knox.”
They cheered as they hustled out of the bathroom. Aiva entered the kitchen to find her boyfriend pulling out some paper plates.
“The little ladies would like to have lunch outside,” she informed him.
“Let’s not keep them waiting then,” he responded.
“If you want to take that, I’ll grab drinks.”
Knox nodded before kissing her and leaving the kitchen with the pizza boxes and plates. Aiva grabbed some plastic cups, the pitcher of lemonade from the refrigerator, and a roll of paper towels. Once back outside, she placed everything down, and Knox opened the boxes.
As they ate, Yasmine and Kaley asked them how long the vegetables would take to grow once they planted everything and what they could make with them when they were ready to harvest. Aiva found it amusing because it wasn’t as if they were planting a large farm full, but she was glad they were excited about it. There was a moment of silence before Kaley piped up.
“Oh! You know what would be fun? A sleepover. Can we, Aiva?”
“I’m sorry, sweetie, but I have to work in the morning.”
“Ah man,” Yasmine responded.
“Can we do it next weekend?” Kaley tried. “We’ll have to come over to check on the garden, anyway.”
Aiva looked at Knox. “Does that work for you?”
“If it works for you.”
“Okay, next weekend,” she agreed.
“Yes!” Kaley exclaimed. “Aiva and I have the best sleepovers,” she told Yasmine. “We make snacks, build forts, watch movies, paint my nails, and do face masks. It’s so much fun!”
Yasmine’s eyes widen with excitement. “Can we do all that?!”
Aiva laughed as she nodded. “Of course.” She returned her attention to Knox. “I usually pick Kaley up around one or two, so we have time to do all that, and she still gets in bed at a decent time. Does that work for you?”
“It does. I can drop Yas off at one,” he responded.
The girls happily chatted about their upcoming sleepover until they finished their food. They washed their hands before putting their hats and gloves back on and starting on the vegetables. She and Knox gave them space and watched them from where they sat on the patio.
“Thank you,” he stated after a few minutes of silence.
Aiva furrowed her brow. “For what?”
“For being you.”
She understood after a few seconds. “You don’t have to thank me. I’ve told you once Yas is a part of you, and I understand that. I enjoy spending time with her; she and Kaley get along well. I don’t mind having her over for them to spend time together or for her and me to spend time together. You never have to thank me for doing something I want to do.”
“I know you’ve said it before, but I want you to know that I appreciate it and enjoy watching the two of you spend time together and get to know one another.”
“You don’t have to tell me you do. I already know that.” Aiva gestured towards Yasmine. “Because you wouldn’t bring me around her if it weren’t something you wanted. You wouldn’t trust me with her.”
Knox leaned over and kissed her instead of responding, their lips a slow-moving dance. She could tell when he remembered they weren’t alone because he groaned softly and pulled away. She smiled at him, shaking her head. Before she could say anything, Kaley spoke first.
“There are children here, and we can see you, you know.”
Her little sister’s comment made them both laugh. Yes, there were children there, but Aiva was excited about the prospect of what would go down when there weren’t. She was very much looking forward to a repeat of everything that he’d given her, made her take so deliciously, and anything else that he wanted to give her.