She didn’t need a man to wait on her or take care of it all.
What she wanted was a partnership with a man. Maybe he was used to doing it all or even had to with other relationships, but that was not how she operated.
By the time she had Becca secured in her booster seat, Brennan was walking in with a plate of sliced beef and a bowl of thick wedges of potatoes.
He set them down and went back for the last dish of broccoli.
He made Becca’s plate, cutting her food up small for her, then passed her the plates one by one.
There was a nostalgic feeling of family meals that she’d had as a child and only got for holiday gatherings now.
“What’s going through your head?” he asked.
“What?”
“You’ve got this soft smile on your face as if you’re thinking of something. Are you going to share?”
“I hadn’t realized,” she said. “I was thinking that the only time I get a meal like this, at a table where everything is passed around, is a holiday now. For years it was always cook, make your plate in the kitchen with the food on the counter or oven, then sit down and eat.”
“Yeah,” he said. “That seems to be more the norm. It’s how I grew up too.”
Which told her he wanted something more than he’d had. He’d said it once and she didn’t know if it was to agree with her thoughts on families, but the easy way it came out told her, yes, they had that dream in common.
“I like eating with Daddy at the table,” Becca said. “But my friends say they get to eat on their couch.”
“Only snacks on the couch,” he said. “And even then, someone is too messy for some things.”
“Is Daddy a messy eater?”
Brennan coughed on his bite of food. “Noooo,” Becca said. “It’s me.” She lifted her fork to talk and sent her food flying to the floor.
“Oops,” she said, reaching down to grab it. “My bad.”
“It’s fine,” he said. “Nice to have a helping hand.”
“This is great,” she said, cutting into her steak. “Cooked perfectly. I don’t do well with beef inside. I’m better with it on the grill.”
“It’s my hope to grill this summer. I’ve never had one on my own and my mother didn’t have one at the house.”
“I can teach you,” she said.
Alana dipped her head down after she said it. Maybe she shouldn’t be assuming that they’d still be together this summer.
“I’d like that,” he said.
She looked up and saw his grin.
“After dinner, can I show you my new dance?” Becca asked. “Daddy said I still have to go to bed at the same time. So we can’t do everything I want to.”
“I’d love to see your new dance,” she said.
They finished dinner, Alana helped him clean up, then Becca performed her new routine a few times. After that, they moved off to build a Lego set.
When it was time for Becca to go to bed, Alana stood up to take her leave, but Brennan said, “No. Wait. I’ll be down in ten minutes.”
“Are you sure?”
Becca ran up the stairs, but he chased after her and called over his shoulder. “Positive.”
