AllFreeNovel
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Abbi lives in a little neighborhood of townhomes on the edge of town. It’s a newer area, with a park for Daisy and sidewalks and trees. It’s a nice part of town, which makes me feel good because I know that they’re safe.
And I don’t even want tothinkabout why that’s something I worry about.
I pull into the driveway of Abbi’s end unit and cut the engine, and with the flowers in hand, I make my way to the door, which is immediately opened by Daisy, who is currently jumping up and down in her ruffly purple dress.
“You’re here! You’re here!”
“Well, hello there, Princess.” I wink at her and step inside when Abbi gestures, keeping most of the cold outside. When the door is closed, I offer Abbi her bouquet of flowers, and her gorgeous blue eyes soften. “For you.”
“You didn’t have to do that.” But she buries her nose in a bloom and fusses over them in that way that women do that makes a man feel like he gave them the world. “Thank you.”
“And for mygorgeousdate, we have this.” I present the box, and Daisy frowns down at it.
“What is it?”
“A corsage,” Abbi says with a laugh. “Come on, let me set these in the kitchen, and we’ll get the corsage on you, baby.”
“Okay.” Daisy takes my hand and leads me into the kitchen. I like this townhome, with its open floor plan. This floor is just the kitchen and living room, with a door out to the garage, and another that I assume is a half bath.
The bedrooms are upstairs.
“You look handsome,” Daisy says with a bright smile. “And your tie matches my dress!”
“I heard a rumor that you’d be wearing purple.”
Daisy giggles. “I told you, silly.”
“Oh, yeah, that’s right. Well, your dress is super pretty, and your hair is all curly.”
“Mommy did it,” she says shyly, gently touching the curls that fall around her shoulders.
“Here, I know how to do this, thanks to prom about a million years ago,” Abbi says as she takes the corsage out of the box and slips the wristband around Daisy’s wrist, tightening it to fit.
“This way,” Daisy says, “it’s easier for me to sniff them.”
She does and then closes her eyes, as if it’s the best thing she’s ever smelled.
“Good?” Abbi asks.
“I’m gonna smell them all night. Can we go now?”
“Pictures first,” Abbi says, grabbing her phone. “Here, stand by the fireplace.”
We pose for photos. In some, I’m holding Daisy’s hand. In others, I’m squatting next to her, and she has her arms around my neck.
It all makes me wonder where her father is. Who would willingly miss out on something this great?
Before long, we’re on our way to the school where the dance is being held. Daisy’s in the back seat of my 4Runner, chatting away.
The kid never shuts up, but it’s kind of cute.
“Robert is nice,” she says, “but he has red hair.”
“You don’t like red hair?”
I glance in the rearview and see her frown, thinking it over. “I do. Polly has red hair, and I like her.”
“Okay, so what’s wrong with his red hair?”
