Rescue Me(62)

“Good luck with that, ass muncher.”

We both turn and face Shelby as she stands at the top of the stairs with her hands on her hips.

“Hey,” Antonio says.

“Hey back,” Shelby returns.

There is nothing but silence for what seems like eternity.

“Umm. What’s Sierra doing downstairs?” I finally ask, breaking the tension.

“Oh, sorry. She and Adam are wrapping the present they made for you and Adam said to come down in five minutes.”

“Okay, then. I’m just going to go wait in the kitchen until it’s time, then.”

I feel like I am watching a stare down competition between these two as neither of them says anything, still. One thing I do know is that those two can fake all they want to each other about how they feel, but there is no way they can fake the sexual chemistry the two of them have. I just hope like hell Antonio is prepared. My sister is definitely not like any other woman out there, in more ways than one.

I wait three excruciatingly long minutes before I walk back into the living room. When I enter, neither Shelby nor Antonio is anywhere to be found. The front porch light is turned on so I can only assume they went outside.

“Can I come down now?” I holler as I slowly make my descent down the stars.

“Yes, Mommy, and hurry!”

Sierra’s eyes are like saucers and she is fluttering all over the place. Her enthusiasm must be contagious because Adam sits in the middle of the floor with two presents in front of him and a small grin on his face. I plop myself right down on the floor next to him and Sierra somehow finagles herself right in between us.

“You ready, Mommy?”

“I guess I am.”

“Okay now here, you open this one first.”

Sierra picks up a package and sets it in front of me. I chance a glance at Adam who just sits there with a self-assured expression on his face. I take my time opening the gift and when I lift the lid of the box I gasp as I see what’s inside.

“Oh my, Sierra. Does this mean you’re going to let me go take a bubble bath now?”

I carefully pull out the cardboard door hanger that is colored purple and has all kinds of glitter on it. The lettering says, ‘Shh. Mommy is taking a bath.’

“It’s the best present ever. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Mommy. It was Daddy’s idea to make you something special but it was my idea to make you this because you love to take baths. Daddy got you some bubble bath, too. Here, look!”

She reaches over in front of Adam and hands me the other wrapped gift.

“Sorry, Daddy. I wasn’t supposed to tell her what her present was,” she says, hanging her head.

Adam just sits there looking full of himself as he draws Sierra up onto his lap and places a kiss on top of her head. I love this look so much better on him than the look just a few short hours ago when he was so desperately beating himself up.

“It’s okay, Butterfly. I bet Mommy figured out what it was, anyway.” He winks at me.

“Oh, yes. How can you have a door hanger for your bathroom without bubble bath?” I joke. “Thank you for making this for me and for this bubble bath too.” I open up the gift bag and pull out my favorite wildflower fragrance.

I look back and forth between the two of them. “I love you two so much.”

“I love you more, Mommy. I even love you as much as the ocean. And Daddy, too.”

“The ocean, huh? Wow. That’s a whole lot of love, Sierra, because the ocean is so big,” Adam says seriously.

“Yup, it is, and Mommy is a beautiful mermaid who could live in the ocean,” she says, turning and placing her dainty hands on his face. “But, Daddy, you can’t be a fish in the ocean.”

“Well, why not?” He sticks out his bottom lip, acting like he is pouting.

“Because, Daddy. Fish stink, and you don’t stink.”

I am trying so hard to hold my laughter in because Sierra is extremely serious right now.

“Hmm. Let me think what I can be, then. Oh, I know. I can be a shark so I can GET YOU!”

Sierra jumps up off of his lap as he stands up and starts chasing her around. Through the squeals and the sweet delight of hearing my daughter’s laughter, I lay my head down on the carpet and hold my door hanger to my chest.

I finally hear the front door close while assisting Adam and Sierra as they make a fort in the bedroom.

“I’m going to go see if that’s Shelby,” I say to Adam. I peek my head inside where Sierra is arranging her pillows and blankets. “Dinner will be ready pretty soon, Sierra.”

“Okay, Mommy,” she yells from under the fort.

Adam stands up and whispers at me, nodding toward the living room.