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In fact, it has always been him.
I wiped my hands down the front of my skirt which was a bad idea seeing that it was leather.
Then Bruce slowly sidled up to me. The dog might not be old, but he gave wise old pooch energy.
“Hi, sweetheart,” I cooed as I patted the top of his head. I made a mental note to call Harper to see how Pepper was doing. I couldn’t stop thinking about that pup.
Alice patted the top of his head. “He wants pizza.”
My eyes met hers. “Are you saying Bruce is trying to butter me up?”
She nodded in agreement, but her facial expression made it clear she didn't know the idiom. “It means he's being extra nice so that I give him pizza.”
Alice smiled. “Oh, yeah, then he's definitely buttering you up.”
My lips twitched and my gaze found Beck's and he held it, sharing that small moment.
“Can wepleaseeat now?” Alice asked, exasperated.
Beck tilted his head. “Wash your hands. Pizza’s on the table.”
“Yes!” She ran down the hall and I heard a faucet turn on.
“She's excited,” I said on a laugh.
Beck put a hand out and lifted me to my feet, tugging me into his chest. Our bodies met.
“I'm excited too,” he said, leaning in close before planting a kiss behind my ear.
I sighed.
As Alice bounded back into the room, I stepped back, unsure where exactly Beck and I stood with our relationship. Those three little words I still needed to say were caught in my throat.
We sat together, the three of us, enjoying the pizza, as Alice talked about the new girl in her class who just moved from California and how fun it would be if she lived in California because that's where Disneyland is.
“We can go to Disneyland for spring break next year. How does that sound?” he asked his daughter while I watched, enamored with the two of them.
Alice shot out of her chair to hug her dad, forcing him to drop the pepperoni pizza he was about to take a bite of, the red sauce splattering everywhere.
I tossed a napkin at him, watching as he attempted to clean up the mess.
“How about you, Marks? Are you in for a trip to the happiest place on Earth?”
I choked on my pizza. The hacking and coughing lasted an exponentially long time, so long that Beck’s grin slid off his face and he started clapping me on the back. “You okay? Alice, get her some water, please.”
Alice reluctantly set down her slice and got me a glass of water.
“Thanks,” I said with a cough.
Alice and Beck remained waiting for my response. The little girl even started patting my back. “You should come with us. It will be way more fun than with just Daddy.”
Beck's eyes were tuned to me as I mulled over the invite. To be invited to something so far in the future, it could only mean one thing.
It meant…
Well, it meant everything. It meant this wasn't temporary and since I'd only lived and thrived in the temporary, I wasn't quite sure how to handle it.
He must have picked up on my internal turmoil because he didn't press me in the moment.