Marry Me

Part 13

Something is different.

Chloe doesn't necessarily know what it is, but it's something. She sits at the breakfast table, slowly lifting her spoonful of sugary cereal to her lips as she watched the two of you. She swings her legs back and forth in the rickety chair, watching as Ricky presses a kiss against your forehead as he passes by.

Huh.

Your cheeks heat at the gesture, but you don't look up from where you do the dishes, your hands disappearing into soapy water. It's been like that all weekend, you two sending each other big-eyed looks or whispering back and forth.

You're acting how her mommy does when she has a new boyfriend.

It's... weird.

"Daddy?"

"Yeah, baby?"

"Mommy said we're having my birthday party on Friday afternoon, you're coming, right?" Chloe asks, concerned. Her daddy works through the week, and so do you, but she wants you to be there! Her entire class has been invited and she wants to introduce her friends to you. Actually, you should meet them on Tuesday, but just in case.

"Of course I will." Ricky raises his brows, a coffee cup hovering beneath his lips. "I wouldn't miss it for the world. Your seventh birthday is a big deal."

Well, he's been thinking she's seven for ages now, she acts so mature. He's not sure how he and her mother managed to make something so perfect when they have so many issues themselves.

"(Y/N)?"

"I'll be there, sweetpea," you say, looking over your shoulder at her. Your hair is twisted loosely at the nape of your neck, tendrils brushing your cheeks as you move around. You're not wearing your ugly jumpsuit today, but you're dressed normal in jeans and one of her dad's t shirts; Chloe always recognizes them as his, he has a different style than you. You like boring shirts with nothing on them, and her daddy likes pictures on his.

"Good." Chloe smiles, letting her pink spoon rest in her bowl of colored milk. "I wanna introduce you to Becky. She thinks it's really cool you work on cars like her daddy does."

"Oh, well, that's nice." Your cheeks heat. Does she talk about you at school? You wonder what she says, what her teachers think about her father's sudden marriage. It's been a few months now and you haven't announced a baby, so the rumors about that should be dying down now.

"Who's Becky?" Ricky hasn't heard that name before, and usually Chloe yammers on about all her friends and what they did that day. He knows she doesn't like a boy named Ralston because he makes fun of her dresses, and that Sarah is her best friend but Sarah's best friend is Jenny which Chloe doesn't think is good because Jenny hates the color pink.

The social life of his daughter is a big topic on the car rides home.

"She's new. Ms. Thomas introduced her last week in homeroom. She's supposed to come to my party though, but Mommy says that she doesn't like her parents."

"Why not?" Is there something wrong with her parents? Is her dad a murderer? Politician? Grocery store clerk? Usually Claire doesn't like someone with reason, so he'll have to talk to her about that.

"I dunno." His daughter shrugs. "Can I have more cereal?"

"Sure." He absently takes the box off the refrigerator, pouring some more into her milk and watching her mash it down beneath the liquid. "Are you excited about your party?"

"Did you get me the new Princess Bailey doll?"

What the hell is a Princess Bailey doll???

Ricky gives her a blank look for a split second, blinking.