I’m not sure who’s at Zander’s door, but I hope he gets rid of them quickly and joins me back in bed. I fix the bedding, and breathe in the scent of him on the soft pillowcase. My entire body is warm, relaxed, yet in need of him again. I try not to read too much into that, when I hear voices from downstairs.
I jackknife up, and tug the sheets up to cover myself. I listen harder, sure it’s Quinn downstairs. When I hear a child’s cry, my heart leaps.
Daisy.
I glance around the room in search of my clothes, but they’re nowhere to be found. I’d stripped by the pool, and now I can’t get dressed and get out of here.
I slide from the bed and go to Zander’s big closet. I’m pretty sure he won’t mind me borrowing a few things, so I tug on a button-up shirt and a huge pair of sweats that tie at the waist. I listen at the bedroom door, and when I hear the front door shut, I inch it open.
Zander is talking to Daisy in a soft, soothing voice. I want to yell down to see if she’s okay, but it’s not wise for Daisy to find me here. This relationship is a secret, and we don’t want anyone getting the wrong idea. Then again, how much of a secret is it if he agreed to go to the BBQ with me?
Soft footsteps sound on the stairs, then a door creaks open. I slip from the room, and I’m walking past Daisy’s bedroom when Zander’s whispered words to his daughter stop me.
“Daisy, sweet girl. I never meant to let you down. I promise from here on out I’ll do better. I should have know you were getting sick. If I could be sick for you, or run to the moon and back to make you feel better, I would.”
I suck in a fast breath, and that’s when Zander calls out to me.
“Sam,” he says quietly.
I back up, poke my head into the room. “Hey,” I say softly, as he tucks Daisy into her small pink convertible bed that is so adorable.
“Chickenpox,” he says quietly.
“Oh no!”
“Quinn bathed her and put calamine on the sores, but Daisy was crying to come home. She likely got them at the daycare.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
He shakes his head and tucks in his sleeping daughter. “No. I might have to bath her again in cool water if she wakes up itchy, and Quinn left the lotion for me.” He stands and scrubs the back of his neck. “I can’t believe I didn’t notice the signs.”
I cross the room and put my arms around him. “Hey, chickenpox can come on fast.”
“She had a small bump on her back. I noticed it when she was in her bathing suit at Quinn’s, but I thought it was a bug bite.”
“Easy mistake,” I say, and lead him from the room. We go back downstairs and he slumps onto the sofa. He rests his head on the cushions and closes his eyes. As I look at him, it occurs to me that he’s always taking care of everyone in his life…but who’s taking care of him?
I grab the remote and flick on the TV. I surf the channels until I come across some scary movie.
One eye pops open. “I thought you didn’t watch scary movies.”
“Never Have I Ever,” I say, and walk into his kitchen. I come back with a slice of pie for each us and the half-empty bottle of wine under my arm. I set everything on the coffee table.
“I’ll grab the glasses,” he says, about to stand.
“No,” I say and push him back down. “Tonight, I’m taking care of you.” I dart back into the kitchen and come back with glasses. I pour wine into both and hand one to him.
“What did I do to deserve this?” he asks, and hold his glass out for a clink.
I look him in the eyes and we tap glasses. “You’re a good dad, Zander.”
He takes a sip and lets out a slow sigh. “Sometimes I wonder.”
“Daisy is one of the happiest girls I’ve ever met,” I tell him. “She’s full of life and love, and compassion.” His smile is soft, and he looks off into the distance like he’s a million miles away. “All kids get the chickenpox sooner or later. Best she gets it over with now.”
“I should have paid more attention to the bump.”
I wave a dismissive hand. “Oh please. My mom sent me to school with them. I was complaining of being itchy and she just told me to stop scratching. The nurse sent me home. Mom was mortified, but look at me. It didn’t hurt me. I’m somewhat normal.”
“Somewhat,” he teases, and I whack him.
“Sometimes with the first child, it’s easy to miss things,” I say. “By the time the second or third comes around, you’ll get better at this. You’ll see.”
He arches a brow. “Second or third?”
“It will happen, Zander. You’ll find the right woman one of these days, and want to fill this house with kids.”
He doesn’t answer me, instead his gaze goes to the TV, to spot the couple sneaking off to find a quiet place to make out.
“Rule number one in horror films,” he begins. “Never sneak off to have sex.” He makes a slicing motion across his throat. “They’re always the first to go.”
Some guy with a huge blade sneaks up on the couple making out. I settle in next to Zander, and he puts his arm around me as I put my hand in front of my face and peer at the TV through my spread fingers.
“I’m going to have nightmare for the rest of my life,” I say.
He hugs me. “I think you can now officially say you’ve watched a scary move. I’ll find us something else.”
“You sure?”
“Yup.” He grabs the remote and starts flicking.
I glance at the clock. “Actually, I should probably go. We don’t want Daisy waking up to find me here.”
He hesitates for a second. “Quinn asked whose sports car was in the driveway.”
I cringe. “What did you tell her?”
“I told her a friend was staying over.” He looks at me, his eyes the deepest blue I’ve ever seen them. “I didn’t lie, Sam. You are a friend.”
“Yes, I’m a friend.”
“I think she knew it was you though.”
“What makes you say that?”
“She had a weird smirk on her face. It was the same smirk she gave me when we were at the club.”
“If so, then why did she give my number to Todd?”
He turns to face me. “She told me she gave him your contact information.”
“Really? Why?”
“She wanted to know if I thought it was okay. I think Quinn might be fucking with us.”
“Todd texted me.”
His eyes narrow. “What did he want?”
“A coffee date.”
“It’s you and me for the next month, Sam. After that…” His words fall off.
“You and me for the next month,” I agree, and try not to think about the lump in my throat.
What? Did I expect him to say he didn’t want me to date Todd? That he wanted me to be his girl?
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. He doesn’t want that, and neither do I, right?
I take a sip of wine, to hide the disappointment on my face.
“If you want to stay, that would be okay. Daisy knows you, and we could just tell her you’re a friend. I mean, I do, after all, plan to bring her to your parents’ barbecue.”
“That’s true.”
He goes through the channel until he finds some action flick starring Bruce Willis. “This good?”
“Perfect,” I say, and settle against him. As I melt into his warmth, it occurs to me just how perfect this is. Daisy asleep upstairs, Zander’s arm around me, making me feel safe and secure. Yeah, a girl could really get used to this.
I watch the movie, and my lids slowly drift shut, but a cry pulls me from my slumber. I blink my eyes open, take a second to orient myself as Zander shuffles beside me.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
“Daisy is awake. I need to check on her. She probably needs more medicine.”
“Let me help you.”
He hesitates for a second, then holds his hand out to me. He helps me from the sofa and I follow him up the stairs. I stand in the hall as he enters Daisy’s room.
“Hey kiddo,” he says, and my heart squeezes in my chest. He puts his hand to her forehead, and she wraps her arms around.
“Itchy, Daddy,” she says.
“Okay, do you want a bath?”
She shakes her head no.
“How about some of this cream Quinn gave us?” Daisy nods, and Zander says. “Do you remember, Sam?”
“I like Sam,” Daisy says.
“She’s here now. She’s going to help me take care of you.”
Daisy nods again. “Did she bring Mr. Giggles?”
“Not this time, but maybe next. Do you want to say hi to her?”
She nods, and Zander gesture me in.
Daisy laughs when I enter. “You’re wearing Daddy’s clothes,” she says.
“Isn’t that silly,” I tease her.
“You’re silly!”
I sit on the bed next to her, and Zander crosses the room and comes back with cotton balls. He removes the cap on the lotion, presses the cotton ball to the opening and shakes.
“Want me to help you with your nighty?” I ask, and Daisy lifts her arms. I gently peel it over her head, and Zander dabs her with the lotion.
“I think she’s still feverish,” he says. “Would you mind grabbing the thermometer, it’s in the bathroom.”
“Sure.” I go in search of the thermometer and find it in the bathroom drawer. Zander puts it in Daisy’s ear and presses a button. “Low grade,” he says. “How about one of those cherry-flavored chewables?”
“I’m thirsty.”
“I’ll be right back,” he says.
I sit with Daisy, and smooth her hair back as Andi, her guppy, swims in the gurgling tank.
“Scotty didn’t want me to go,” she says. Th-snotty. “But I missed my Daddy.”
My heart pinches. “I know. When we don’t feel good, we always want to be home in our own beds.”
“I like my bed.”
“You have a very cool bed. I want a car bed like this.”
She laughs. “You’re silly. This is too small for you.”
“I could fit,” I say, and slide in behind her.
She lays down next to me and her fingers go to my hair. She curls the strands around her fingers. “You’re wet,” she says.
“I went swimming in your pool.”
Her eyes slide shut, and her breathing evens out. I let mine go closed with her, and a second later, Zander is calling out to his daughter.
“Daisy,” he says. “Can you sit up for a second.”
“No, Daddy.”
“Just for a second, then we can go back to sleep,” I say.
I sit up, and she reluctantly follows. She takes the chewable and cringes as she eats it. Zander gives her a sip of water to wash it down. I gently lay her back down and settle next to her on her pillow. The sound of Zander’s throat working fills the room.
Her fingers curl in my hair again, and once more, my eyes drift shut.
When I open them again, I’m no longer in Daisy’s bed, and the sun is shining into the room.