The Wright Brother(47)

“I think I need my own ice cream before we start the movie,” Jensen told her.

“I can help!” Lilyanne cried. “I’m great with sprinkles.”

“I bet you are.” He lifted her up and onto his shoulders, and he carried her into the kitchen.

Lilyanne screamed in pure joy at being so high in the air, and I just followed in awe.

Jensen scooped out his own ice cream and let Lily add the sprinkles. Then, he took the bowl back into the living room with Lily back on his shoulders. He easily dropped her in front of the shelf of Disney movies and then leaned over and pulled me tight against him.

“I missed you,” he said. He planted a firm but quick kiss on my lips.

“I missed you, too. Are you sure you don’t mind this?”

“Do I look like I mind?”

I shook my head. He definitely didn’t.

“Who could pass up a big bowl of ice cream and Disney movies?” he asked.

“I’m certain, no one.”

“Found it!” Lilyanne cried.

“Let me guess,” I said.

“No! It’s a surprise.”

“Okay. I won’t look,” I told her. I took the Blu-ray from her and popped it into the player.

Lilyanne took the spot next to Jensen and instructed me that I had to sit on the other side of her. With Lily in the middle, Jensen draped his arm across the back of the couch and kept his hand on my shoulder. I smiled at him as the opening credits to Frozen began. It was only a matter of minutes before the entire thing became a sing-along. By the time “Let It Go” came on, Jensen and I were swinging Lily between us as we all led into the chorus.

We finished Frozen, and we were halfway through Tangled when Lily began to crash. To my amazement, it was already well past her bedtime. She lay stretched out between us with her head on a pillow in my lap. Her eyes kept fluttering closed as her sugar high dissipated. I waited until she was sound asleep before moving out from under her.

I reached for my phone and saw that I had a text from Kimber.

Everything is all right here. It was Braxton Hicks contractions, but they last a long time, so the doctor just wanted to check me out. I’ve been told I need to rest, but I might die since I haven’t even finished Christmas shopping! Be home soon!

As long as you and the baby are okay, that’s all that matters. We can shop on Amazon and have all the presents delivered!

“All right. Everything is okay with Kimber. They’re leaving the hospital soon.”

“Good. I’m glad that the baby didn’t come early,” Jensen said. “Want me to take this one up to her room?”

“You don’t mind?”

Jensen didn’t even reply. He just lifted Lilyanne into his arms like a baby doll and effortlessly carried her up the stairs. I followed, directing him along the way. He gently placed her on her bed and tucked the covers all around her. She let out a satisfied sigh, and Jensen just smiled at her.

Jensen eased the door closed behind us. He took my hand, and we walked back downstairs. I curled into his side on the couch as Tangled continued to play in the background.

“You’re really great with her,” I told him.

“I like kids.”

“I like kids who are raised right. Lilyanne is an angel compared to some other kids her age.”

“That is true,” he agreed. His eyes slid down to me, and he smiled. “She’s full of possibilities. I love that about her. She has so much joy and is full of life. I think she reminds us all that we need to live a little more. Be a bit more carefree.”

I nodded. “That’s definitely Lily.” I sighed and thought about all the things in my life that hadn’t been full of joy. All of those things that had led me to this moment. “It’s part of the reason I left my PhD program.”

“What do you mean? You didn’t feel carefree anymore?”

“I didn’t have any joy. I just wish I’d figured it out sooner. I wish I hadn’t needed to be hit over the head to know the program wasn’t right. I mean…I’d already completed my comprehensive exams. All I had to do was finish my dissertation and defend it to my committee to pass.”

“How could you quit if you were so close?” he asked curiously.

I bit my lip and looked away from him. “I really didn’t love it. I think I was doing it because one thread kept pulling me back to it. The stress got out of control. I couldn’t handle it, and I had to get on anxiety medication. Plus, well, I found out my advisor was sleeping with an undergrad.”

“Jesus,” he said. “What a prick! Did he get fired?”

“I didn’t turn him in. I just broke up with him and quit the department.”