“Of course,” I murmur, and she nods, our noses bumping against one another. I have my hand halfway up her skirt when a phone buzzes, and Veronica pulls away, reaching into her purse to grab it.
“Hi baby!” she says, plopping back into her seat. I immediately lean into the frame to catch sight of my beautiful daughter, Zelie, sitting on Olivia’s lap.
“I was just about to put her to bed,” Olivia says, “but I guess she really wanted to see Daddy.”
“Dada!” Zelie shouts, and my smile splits across my face. I can’t help it—any time I look at her, I feel like I’ve swallowed the sun. I’m convinced I will never need anything more in my life than my two girls to be perfectly happy.
“What about Mommy?” Veronica asks, “Mama? The one who had to carry you for nine months?”
“Eight months,” I correct, “you were a bit of a pre-mature birth.”
“If that’s true,” Veronica mutters, “then why did she weigh eight pounds?”
“I can’t tell if you guys are still talking to Zelie,” Olivia says, “or talking to each other.”
“Zelie,” I say, while Veronica says, “myself.”
Olivia laughs, then moves the camera away from Zelie, so it’s mostly her face that fills the frame. Linnea is so busy with her own kids, and Rosa and Bigby are gone for part of the year, so it was very convenient when Olivia spoke up, saying she could babysit when she wasn’t on assignment.
My parents are talking about moving to Rosecreek, which would be wonderful, but until that happens, Olivia is our pretty regular sitter, and Zelie loves her. We chat with Olivia for a while, until Zelie starts to yawn loudly in the background.
“Alright,” Olivia says, “I’d better get her to bed. We can’t wait to see you all tomorrow!”
“You too,” we say in unison, before Olivia ends the call. We come to a stop outside the hotel, each scanning the area before stepping out. When we travel together, it’s like each of us has a client, and each of us has a bodyguard.
As we walk through the hotel, I can’t stop looking at her and thinking about how lucky I am. Two years ago, I was miserable, spending every night in my apartment, staring at the ceiling, wondering if it was worth going through everything I went through.
Now, my wife and I are heading to the hotel with the hot tub, my daughter is waiting for me at home, and we’ve just completed another successful mission.
Things haven’t been easy for me, and Veronica and I have had our fair share of shit to get through, as friends, lovers, and parents. But at the end of the day, I know she will be right there next to me, climbing into bed, fitting her body to mine, and whispering that she loves me.
*****
THE END
