Chapter 16
Kendall, her hand still being held by Cooper, had never thought about that question.
She was a mother with a young child and with no one to share the good and the bad.
Not that there was anything bad about having her daughter, but some days were exhausting, both mentally and physically.
There was no one else to feed Livie dinner, give her a bath, to get her child who never wanted to go to sleep to actually go to sleep.
Her father did take Livie on occasion, but he had his own life and a girlfriend, so she rarely asked him to babysit.
He did like to take Livie to a Braves game sometimes, and she enjoyed those few hours when the house was quiet.
She mostly spent those times catching up on either lesson plans for her second-grade class or working on her next podcast. Even though she had pushed self-care and adult fun to the side, she had no regrets.
What was her idea of a perfect evening?
“I guess playing with Livie or—”
“No. No. Something that’s just for you. Something special.”
“Mommy plays with me. You can play with me, too, Daddy.”
Oh, that soft smile on Cooper’s face at hearing Livie call him Daddy was about the sweetest thing she’d ever seen.
“We’re going to play together a lot, Princess.”
“Now, Daddy?”
“Why don’t you play with Ruby for a few minutes and let me talk to Mommy, okay?”
“Okay, but don’t talk long.”
“I won’t.”
After Livie was on the floor with a pile of dog toys next to her and Ruby excited to have her new friend playing with her, Cooper chuckled as he watched them for a minute. Then he turned that intent focus on her that he was so good at. “Think of what your perfect adult evening would be.”
“Ah, an adult evening.” She glanced at Livie to see that she and Ruby had moved farther away, and Livie wasn’t paying attention to them.
“I have no idea what those are like, so I guess I’ll have to use my imagination.
I love Livie to death, but one night of not being a mommy would be wonderful.
” She closed her eyes and smiled. “I’d put on some soft music and start my evening with a glass of wine and maybe some cheese and fancy crackers. ”
“Are you alone in this adult evening?”
She opened her eyes, her gaze locking on his. “No. There’s a man I’ve thought a lot about over the years with me. We have adult conversation, something lacking in my life as I spend my days with seven- and eight-year-olds and my evenings with a four-year-old.”
“I’m liking this adult evening of yours so far. Then what happens?”
“We have dinner by candlelight.”
“What are we eating?”
“We?” She grinned. “You think you’re the man in my special evening?”
“I’m hoping.”
“I guess we’ll have to see. As for what we’re eating, this man who might or might not be you, maybe Tuscan chicken pasta paired with a glass of pinot grigio. I had that once at a restaurant and it was delicious. Honestly, anything I don’t have to cook that isn’t chicken nuggets or mac and cheese.”
“What’s for dessert?”
“Oh, that’s an easy one. Pistachio ice cream and chocolate shortbread cookies.”
“I want a cookie,” Livie said, jumping up from the floor.
Cooper grinned. “Little ears.”
She laughed. “That’s something you’ll have to get used to.”
“I can see that.” He shifted his gaze to Livie. “Princess, if you’ll wait five minutes, I’ll give you two cookies.”
“Is five minutes a long time, Daddy? I don’t think I can wait a long time.”
“Not a long time at all. Look, Ruby has her tug toy in her mouth and wants you to play with her some more.” That did the trick, and he turned back to Kendall. “What comes after that romantic dinner?”
“I guess that depends on my dinner date.”
He grinned. “I think your dinner date might have some ideas you’d like.”
“Yeah? Like what?”
“Maybe you’ll find out sometime.” He stood. “Right now, I have a princess to make happy.”
Kendall couldn’t shake the feeling of curiosity that Cooper had ignited in her.
Why had he asked all those questions? As she watched him play with Livie and Ruby, a smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
The two of them had taken to each other as if they had known each other for years, not mere days.
The way he interacted with Livie, so patient and kind, warmed her heart in a way she hadn’t felt in a long time.
What would it be like to have him a part of her and Livie’s life permanently?
They kept dinner simple, grilled cheese and canned tomato soup. She and Cooper worked together to grill the sandwiches and heat the soup. His kitchen was small, and it seemed he took every opportunity to brush against her, to touch her. Each time he did, her heart did a funny fluttering thing.
After dinner, they settled down on the living room couch, with their daughter snuggled between them, and watched Frozen, Livie’s favorite Disney movie. When Cooper told her he’d never seen the movie, Livie was stunned.
“It’s the bestest movie ever, Daddy. Why did you never watch it?”
“Because I was waiting until I could watch it with you, Princess.”
From Livie’s big smile, that answer pleased her. “We can watch it now, right, Mommy?”
So, Frozen it was. Livie made it halfway through the movie before she began to drift off to sleep.
“Should I carry her to bed?” he asked.
“Bath first. She played hard today, and she’s stinky.”
“How dare you call my daughter stinky.” He sniffed Livie’s neck, then wrinkled his nose. “Even if she is.”
“You’re a good daddy, Cooper.”
He glanced down at Livie before lifting his eyes to hers. “I’m planning to be.”