She nods, faster than I would like.
Wren leans over the table, closer to Leia then to me.
“Wren, sit back down,” Bennett says.
I love that Wren doesn’t seem to have a problem with her new sister. I was worried what her reaction to sharing her daddy would be.
“Can Leia and I play games after we eat? Please?” she asks.
I glance at Leia, who still hasn’t answered. Her lips part as though she might say something, then close again.
“If Leia wants to,” I say gently.
Leia shrugs and slides a little closer to me.
Bennett clears his throat. “We can all go together.”
I give him a quick glance, surprised he said that.
Wren grins wide, kicking her feet under the table. “Have you played the claw machine? Or the driving game? I have to sit on Daddy’s lap ’cause I can’t reach the pedals, but it’s so fun. Daddy, you have to take Leia.”
He smiles, but it’s tight. “If she wants.”
The waitress drops the garlic knots and drinks on the table, and I’m thankful for the distraction. I think Leia is, too, because she perks up and reaches for one. Wren chatters about their art class and a drawing that a boy did of some animal pooping. Leia lets out a tiny laugh, and my chest loosens.
Bennett’s eyes flick to mine, a small smile tipping his lips.
“What did you draw, Leia?” Bennett asks.
She only shrugs again. Her voice is a whisper. “A unicorn.”
“Oh, Daddy, it was so pretty. Leia’s the best drawer in our class. It had rainbow hair.” Wren fills in all the blanks.
“I’d love to see it.” Bennett leans back, stretching his arm across the back of the booth. He hasn’t had a garlic knot or taken a sip of his drink.
Is his stomach as nervous as mine? Probably more.
Wren changes the topic to the spelling test. “Just wait, Leia, Daddy makes you write out the words over and over again. Do you do that, Delaney?”
Of course Wren has assumptions of how this will go with Leia being her sister now. A defensive part of me wants to tell Wren I’ll be handling Leia’s studying for the spelling tests.
“Mommy has me write the words in the colors of a rainbow. One time she hid parts of the words around the room, and I had to find them and put them together.” Leia smiles up at me as if she’s remembering the times we’ve done that.
I tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear.
I look back across the booth. Bennett’s eyes are on both of us. For the first time tonight, there’s no tension lining his face. It’s softer now.
Thankfully, the pizza comes. Maybe we did make the right decision coming here because the distraction of the food is perfect.
“Just one piece.” Wren picks up a cheeseburger pizza slice and holds it out to Leia.
Leia looks at me as if I’ll know whether or not she’ll like it.
“You should try it,” I encourage.
“So should you,” Bennett says, picking up a piece and holding it out me like Wren is to Leia. “From what I know, your mom has never tried it either. You guys can do it together.”
Challenge twinkles in his eyes. It’s playful and just what we need.
