Page 92 of Whisper Sweet Nothings
I stood and scooped her out of the water before wrapping her in a towel, and Winnie left to go get her jammies.
The next hour was spent getting her ready for bed, and then Winnie read her three books tonight. We both kissed her good night, and I pulled the door closed behind me, leaving it open just a crack so I could hear her if she called for me.
Winnie walked toward the kitchen, and I grabbed her hand, stopping her at the end of the hallway and pressing her against the wall. “I’m sorry for fucking up your birthday.”
She shook her head, brows cinched together with confusion. “Archie, I love that little girl of yours. And I love the way that you love her. I couldn’t care less about my birthday, and you guys did too much anyway. The cake. The gorgeous monogrammedjournal, the flowers, the delicious dinner, which you wouldn’t even let me help clean up.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it, but I know that I was distracted. I hate seeing that sadness in her eyes,” I admitted. “You just somehow know all the right things to say.”
She chuckled as her hand reached up to stroke the side of my face. “Trust me. I’d like to throttle Justine for what she said, but I tamper it down, because Melody doesn’t need to see anger right now. She just needs comfort and love.”
“And what do you need, Winnie?” I stepped closer, tucking the hair behind her ear.
“I’m pretty content at the moment.” She smirked. “You rocked my world earlier, so you left me with plenty to think about.”
“We could finish what we started,” I whispered, feeling bad at the way things had turned this afternoon.
She shook her head. “Today is not the day for that. I know you’re upset about what happened, and you don’t need to worry about me. There’s no rush here. This was actually the best birthday I’ve had in a very long time.”
“Yeah? Which part? The cake? The presents? Or was it when you came on my lips?” I whispered against her ear.
Her cheeks flamed pink, and she smiled. “All of it.”
“Good. What would you like to do for the rest of your birthday?”
“How about we watch a movie? I have a feeling Melody may wake up a few times tonight. When I used to get upset as a kid, I’d never sleep well after.”
I leaned down and picked her up, then cradled her in my arms and carried her to the couch before settling her on my lap. “I hate even thinking about you being upset.”
“It didn’t happen often. I had an amazing father, just like Melody does. It makes a difference.” She snuggled against my chest, and I reached for the remote.
I let her choose the movie, since it was her special day, and seeing as it was Valentine’s Day, we had an endless rom-com selection to choose from.
This was nice. We just sat there cuddling on the couch. She didn’t expect anything from me after the day I’d had, yet I wanted to do everything for her.
I got up and made us some popcorn, and we laughed and talked and enjoyed the movie. She fell asleep with her head on my lap during the last half hour of the movie, and I carried her to her room. She gave me a kiss good night before going to her bathroom to get ready for bed.
“Good night, Archie. Thanks for making today so special.”
“Night, Winnie.”
I made my way to my room, but I knew it was time to step up my game.
This wasn’t casual anymore. At least not for me.
I picked up my phone and texted in the group chat.
I know it’s late. Is anyone up?
Rafe
I’m on the shitter. My ass is on fire from the lobster bisque Lulu and I had tonight to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
Bridger
Use the turbo on the toilet, and flush that shit out of your system.
Easton
