201 Days #4
Rhea did a quick scan of the crowd and landed on Wild Eyes, who winked. Feeling ignored, the little girl started crying even harder.
“What happened, Iris?” Danny asked.
“I hurt my mouth.”
“I think she bit her tongue. Do you wanna put some ice on it?” Rhea asked.
“Mmhmm,” Iris whimpered through sobs.
Danny led the way, and Rhea carried Iris into the house. Danny got ice out of his gorgeous integrated freezer. He held the ice up to Iris’s mouth, but she refused to open it.
“Do you wanna hold the ice yourself?” Danny asked.
“I want her to do it,” Iris said.
Rhea would have hugged Iris if she weren’t already doing that.
“Okay, Rhea can do it.”
Rhea held the ice cube, and Iris stuck out her tongue.
“I think you made a fan,” Danny said.
“Niece?” Rhea asked hopefully.
“My neighbor’s kid.”
Rhea winced but figured any bonding was better than no bonding. Highly unlikely Kai would ever want to speak to her again, but at least his neighbor’s kid thought she was worthy of holding her ice.
For the rest of the night, Iris followed Rhea everywhere.
All Rhea had to do was save her from being stomped to death by socked feet, and the little girl became Rhea’s duckling.
They played cornhole and giant tic-tac-toe; they ate red, white, and blue cupcakes; and when the fireworks began, Iris shyly asked if she could sit on Rhea’s lap.
The City of Pasadena put on an impressive fireworks display conveniently visible from Danny’s backyard.
Rhea chatted with Iris’s mom, who told her, “Iris is usually very shy. I almost never see her like this. You’re so good with kids.”
Danny was within earshot of this compliment, and he gave Rhea a look that sent a shiver down her spine. The look might have simply been pride in his choice of girlfriend, but it might have been something deeper than that….
The night started to wind down, and when her mother told her it was time to leave, Iris cried, so Rhea offered to walk them home. As they walked, Rhea held Iris’s hand and chatted with her mother.
“So, how long have you known Danny?” Rhea asked.
“Since he moved in…like ten years ago? You guys seem great together. I’ve only met a couple of his girlfriends, but they all seemed wrong for him.”
“Oh, that’s nice to hear. Yeah, so far so good.”
“I feel like if anyone can get Danny to take the plunge, it’s you.”
“What do you mean by ‘the plunge’? Marriage?”
“Marriage, kids, all of it.”
“He’s pretty adamant about not having kids.”
“Oh, I don’t buy that. I’ve watched him with his nieces and nephews for years. He bought a five-bedroom house in one of the best school districts in the city. Some part of him wants kids…even if he doesn’t know it yet.”
Rhea felt tears filling her eyes. This was the loudest sign of all; she now had zero doubt she would accomplish her mission. Danny did want kids; he’d already bought them a house.
She crouched to give Iris a hug and bid them good night.
She walked back to her future house feeling immensely strengthened by the conversation.
Rhea knew Iris’s mother was sent by the goddess of earthquakes, encouraging Rhea to keep going.
She looked up and saw Danny standing outside waiting for her because he truly was a perfect gentleman.
Danny’s sisters ambushed them upon reentry.
“Bye—”
“We’re leaving—”
“These kids are exhausted—”
“It was so nice to meet you, Rhea—”
“Kai, go get your sister—”
“Thanks for having us, Dan—”
“Rhea, we didn’t get to chat much—”
“We gotta have you down to Long Beach—”
“Dan, who made those cupcakes—?”
“I ate like twelve—”
“Rhea, you’re so tiny—”
“She’s so tiny—”
“Except in the boobs—”
“Leave her alone—”
“Kai, your sister, now!”
“I’m taking a plate home for Greg—”
“Rhea, let’s exchange info—”
“Leave her alone, get her number from Dan—”
“K, I’m getting your number from Dan—”
“Love you, Dan—”
Danny shut the door behind them, closed his eyes, and sighed. “I understand if you never want to see me again.”
Rhea laughed. “I love them.”
“They loved you.”
“That’s not possible. I didn’t say one word to them.”
“And you never will.”
Eventually, the last guest left. Rhea and Danny were finally alone. Rhea started gathering empty beer bottles; Danny walked up behind her and kissed her neck. She put the bottles down and leaned into his arms.
“All my friends really like you.”
“And I like them.”
“I really like you too.”
He lifted her hair, kissed her ears, and whispered, “I’ve been watching you in this dress all night and really could not wait for this thing to end.”
“Was that before or after my nipple fell out?”
“Before and after,” he said while kissing the side of her face.
“You know…You never gave me a tour of your house,” Rhea said suggestively.
“What do you wanna see?”
“Your…laundry room,” she said, and he laughed. “What? I’ve never had a laundry room, I wanna see how the other half lives.”
“Okay, we can arrange that…is there anything else you’d like to see?”
“Your…bedroom?”
“Good, let’s go there first.”
He took her hand and led her upstairs so they could go through all the delicious motions of making a baby…without actually making a baby.