They physically sag under the weight of their lack.
It’s right there on their jealous faces how much they wish they had a glorious, loving little creature staring up at them with worshipful eyes, but they can’t. And they don’t. Because she’sone of a kind. All mine. Mine to love and spoil and cherish for the rest of my life.
Thing is, I’m looking at her the same way she’s looking at me.
In reverence.
Not for the first time, I wonder how I got so fortunate.
To call this girl my wife? To be given the honor of providing for her?
Christ, I can’t wait for the rest of this life. It’s a golden path that was nothing but gray before she walked into the kitchen at Tartine.
“Are you hungry?” I ask, rubbing a circle onto her back and staring down a man who looked a little too longingly at Claire’s bare thighs. Quickly, he averts his gaze. “You haven’t eaten since that apple tart this morning.”
“Mmm.” She wrinkles her nose at me. “I think I’m spoiled. Nothing else sounds good, except for your cooking.”
“Ourcooking,” I correct her. “You’re the special ingredient.”
“That’s true,” she says, primly tossing her hair. My girl is feeling playful. “I think I’ll just do a cotton candy. I’ve never had one and they look so pretty.”
“You’ve never had cotton candy?”
She shakes her head.
With a hitch in my chest, I carry her in the direction of the concessions. “You’re going to get whatever you want from now on, Claire.”
“Dessert for dinner, even!”
“Damn right.”
She’s in such good spirits, I try to put her upbringing out of my head, but it’s impossible to ignore what she’s been through. Who could lay hands on this sweetheart in anger? Who could yell at her and deprive her of anything? Couldn’t they see she was unique and loving and crafted by angels? “Is there any chance your father and stepmother will come looking for you?”
“No,” she whispers, kissing my cheeks, in turn. “They’re too lazy. And they wouldn’t even know where to begin looking. Please don’t worry, Draven.”
“Iwillworry for my wife. That’s my job.”
“Not tonight.” She presses her smile against the side of my face until I return it. “Your only job right now is to have fun. We’re celebrating!”
I procure a giant pink cotton candy for Claire, carrying her through the sea of people while she tucks fingerfuls of spun sugar into her mouth, humming happily at the taste.
“Which ride do you want to go on first?”
“Mmm.” She scans the carnival with a pinched forehead, her bottom lip pouting out when she spots something. “Oh no, look, Draven. There is no one on the merry-go-round.”
I follow her line of sight and confirm that, indeed, there are no guests waiting in line. Situated at the darkest edge of the carnival, it’s currently not even running. A worker stands at the gate staring at his phone, since he has nothing else to do.
“We should go on it. I feel bad.”
Refusing to deny her anything, even if she’s simply feeling guilty about the neglect of an inanimate object, I bring her in that direction. “You have a good heart.”
“So do you.”
“My heart was dead until you walked in and revived it,” I say, squeezing her tight.
The carnival worker pushes off the gate when he sees us, stowing his phone and opening the entrance. I climb onto the merry-go-round with Claire in my arms and settle her down on her feet, turning her around to face the menagerie of horses and zebras. “Your choice,” I say, leaning down to kiss her shoulder.
“This horse looks the friendliest,” she says, bounding over to the most colorful one.