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"Mum and I have breakfast together every morning," Flora told me.
She made sure I served her the correct breakfast. It was the strawberry yogurt and not the Greek one, that was mum's. The muesli was the one with hearts on the cover not the plain one. And she wanted only bananas since the yogurt already had strawberries in it.
The kid was adorable. She'd get along like a house on fire with Amy and Carla. Three beautiful cherubs. How a man like me was surrounded by little girls was a mystery, but there was no way I'd give any of them up for anything. I'd seen Flora for a minute, and I already thought of her as mine, because she was Isha's.
Flora chatted away as she ate.
"You don't want breakfast?" she asked suddenly.
"I already ate. I'm going to make myself a cup of coffee, though."
"Mum loves her coffee." Flora then ate some of her muesli and, after she chewed thoughtfully, added, "She says no way Jose in the morning before she has coffee."
While Isha got ready, and I had the pleasure of spending time with her daughter, I learned Flora was a well-adjusted, happy kid, who loved her mum, Uncle Mick, Uncle Art, Nana, and Grandpa—in that order. Family first and then friends, she confided in me when I asked about her friends.
"My bio mum was my mum's best friend," she said, surprising me. "So, it's not like friends are not important. Sometimes they become family, and that's the cool thing. Like Uncle Mick and Uncle Art. They're friends who are family."
I nodded gravely.
She ate her cereal, and then pulled a small stool to stand up on to rinse her bowl and spoon in the sink. She opened the dishwasher and put her dishes in.
"I can put your cup in, too. I do it for Mum."
I finished my coffee and handed the cup to her.
She took care of the cup and held her hand out to me. I put my hand in hers.
"Now, you can read to me," she suggested. I would've loved to do exactly that, but her mum was ready.
Isha came out as she finished putting on an earring. Her dark hair hung in loose waves around her shoulders. Her hair was longer and looked richer than it had years ago. She'd darkened her eyes somehow, and they were more beautiful than ever. She wore a white shirtdress that went below her knee. Her sandals were not the sexy kind but functional, made to walk.
There was absolutely nothing special about what she was wearing—and yet, she could walk the runway. The elegance that had drawn me to her six years ago was still there, a part of her, innately Isha.
She smiled broadly at Flora. "Were you trying to get Rowan to read you a book?"
Flora looked at her mother innocently. "I didn't know how long you'd take. I didn't want Rowan to get bored."
So, yeah, I fell for the kid. Hard. How could you not?
I said as much to Isha after we dropped Flora at her grandparents' house, which was a couple of blocks away. I met Sol and Bea, who seemed like wonderful people. They were just as smitten with Isha as they were with Flora.
"She's wonderful," Isha agreed. "Yas was…well…I see her in Flora. And I miss her all the time."
I put an arm around Isha and squeezed gently.
"Well, where are we going on this date?"
"Since we only have three hours and I didn't want to waste any time in New York traffic, we aren't going too far," I told her. "And you have to wait to learn more. It's a surprise."
When we were in Montana and went on hikes and walks, we held hands. I put my hand out, and she waited for an infinitesimal second before she laid hers in mine. I squeezed, relieved that she was giving me this.
The summer morning was already warm, hinting at the hot day ahead as I led Isha through the vibrant, flower-lined paths of the Queens Botanical Garden.
Planning this first date, I wanted to create a moment that was as meaningful as it was memorable, and I was nervous as hell. I was scared she'd hate the surprise, that I'd inadvertently say something to fuck it up.
"One of the best times on my ranch with you were when we went on our walks," I told her. "I know this isn't Montana, but…."
"It's nice here," she mumbled.
