The woman smirked. “Hit me with it.”
Asia drew in a deep breath. “Do you like nap times?”
Camila nodded fervently. “Love them. Sleeping is one of my favorite pastimes. And the best naps are taken on a hammock, in my opinion.”
My daughter looked up at me. “Daddy, we need a hammock so I can try.”
I chuckled. “I can make that happen.”
“Eva? You like naps?” she asked.
Eva nodded. “I do, though they make me feel kind of groggy. I’d rather stay up and battle the tiredness before going to bed early and sleeping really late in the morning. Then, I have the excuse to order breakfast in bed!”
My daughter looked up at me and whispered, “They have good answers.”
I winked down at her. “It’s why I hired them.”
She nodded. “All right, next question: cows or bees? And you have to choose their color, too.”
Eva blew a raspberry with her lips. “That’s simple. Pink bumblebees. They pollinate, so you can grow pretty flowers; they don’t sting, so there’s no risk there; and who doesn’t love pink?”
Asia’s eyes darted over to Camila. “What about you?”
Camila playfully considered the question as she thought hard on it, even going so far as to scrunch up her face.
Which made my daughter giggle.
“Brown cows, definitely,” Camila said.
Asia blinked. “Brown? That’s boring. I don’t like boring.”
Camila held up her finger. “Ah, but do you like chocolate milk? Because that’s definitely how you get chocolate milk.”
My daughter gasped. “Daddy, really? Is that true?”
When Eva’s laughter erupted from beyond her lips, the sound stopped me in my tracks. It was as if the heavens had opened up and a choir of angels had started singing just for me. The sound washed over me like warm, lazy ocean waves. It reminded me of summers spent with my family up in Myrtle Beach back when I lived a low-key life in the impoverished country hills of South Carolina. It was refreshing and effervescent. It took on a life of its own as she started to snort, and that made everyone laugh just a little bit harder.
It was the most endearing sound I’d ever heard in my life.
I am so fucked with this woman.
“Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry,” Eva said.
I watched both her and Camila wipe away tears from their eyes as Asia continued rattling off insane questions.
“Jell-O or cotton?”
“Ice cream or marshmallows?”
“Italy or snowball fights?”
The more questions my little girl asked, the more ridiculous their answers became. And soon, all four of us were laughing around the table with our lunches half-eaten and our drinks barely touched. I knew I had made the right decision with these two, and I hoped this was the start of a wonderful dynamic that came together for one common good—helping my daughter become the best version of herself.
Now, all I have to do is notify Marissa of the changes.
I wasn’t looking forward to that phone call, but it had to happen. It was my responsibility to keep my ex-wife abreast of any dramatic changes in Asia’s world, even if she didn’t want to give me the same courtesy. I had half a mind to take her to court and get full custody of her, though.
“Crap,” Camila murmured.
