Chapter 27

“Come play treasure hunt!” Is the first thing I hear when I open my front door the next morning.

I’ve barely slept at all, so the sight of Bea and Tris waiting on the other side of the door with bright smiles shocks me.

I look my tiny neighbors in the eyes, trying to remember what the hell time it is right now.

“Treasure hunt, huh?” I ask, attempting to give energy to their request.

“Are you okay, Miss Esme?” Tris asks with a tilt in her head. “You look like you’re still sleeping.”

“Well, that’s not far off, “ I reply with a laugh, “I just need some caffeine, is all.”

“We have caffeine!” Bea insists.

“You do?” I raise an eyebrow, wondering what their end goal is.

“Daddy can make you some!” Tris squeals.

“Oh, girls, I don’t want to intrude on you and your dad’s time.”

Tris grabs my hand closest to her and starts to yank. “Come over, pleeeeease?”

I can’t help but laugh. “Why don’t we go bring you back to the apartment, okay?”

The girls immediately ran back to their apartment next door, leaving the door open for me to follow them inside.

“Derek?” I call out, knocking on the front door as I slowly enter. “The girls were at my place!”

Like a gopher in a movie, Derek pops his head up behind a counter, letting a scream out from my throat so forceful I have to cover my chest and rapid heart rate. I take deep breaths as I lean against the wall.

“Jesus fucking Christ!” I swear without thinking. “I’m not ready to die by a heart attack, Derek!”

He puts down whatever’s in his hands and comes rushing over to me. “I’m sorry, I didn’t even know the door was open, let alone the fact the girls walked out the door.”

I wave my other hand to signify that it’s okay. “I just wanted them to be safe.”

Derek looks around, his girls nowhere in sight. “Look, I’m about to make them some breakfast and myself some coffee. Can I make it up to you?”

Finally, I glance at the outfit he’s got on, which is a plain t-shirt and a “Kiss the Cook” apron. It’s genuinely amusing, especially because it’s Derek so outlandishly out of his element. He’s good at being Mr. Dad, but an apron.

“I don’t want to distract from your Sunday morning,” I insist.

“Stay, Miss Esme!” Tris’ voice cheers from behind me. We both turn to look at her, confused by her sudden entrance.

“Daddy said he made a treasure hunt for us! The first step is to eat his breakfast!” Bea adds, jumping into a chair at the table.

I look from his girls over to him. “So, you put the hunt together, not the girls?”

Derek sighs. “I promised them if they were well-behaved, I’d put together a whole treasure hunt today. I just didn’t know they were going to drag you into it.”

My stomach does a flip, reminding me of the baby inside of me as well. Hearing him talk about the little things he does for the girls makes me feel like a bad parent, even if I only just found out I have a baby.

“You’re allowed to stay, though,” Derek adds, setting down the random objects he holds in his hands. “The girls have asked multiple times if you could play with them today.”

I feel somewhat overwhelmed, knowing that Derek has planned a fun day and wants me to join in. Is that right, though?

“Tell me more about this treasure hunt, huh?” I ask Bea, which makes the two girls light up in their seats.

“We have stuff to find in the house!” Tris replies first, kicking her little feet back and forth in her chair. “Daddy plans what we have to find, then we have to put together what the puzzle says!”

“What kind of puzzle?”

Bea shrugs. “Whatever he wants it to be! Sometimes the answer is just that we’ve won the game, and other times we win cookies or a fun playdate somewhere.”

I eye their father. “What’s today’s winning prize?” I ponder.

“Nope, my lips are sealed,” Derek states, miming zipping his lips closed and throwing away the key.

“Have you been given any information?” I ask the girls.

“Just that we have to eat breakfast and clean up, then we’ll get our first clue.”

I nod. “Then we better do what your dad tells us, right?” I nod, hoping they’ll figure it out.

The girls nod vigorously.

As Derek makes chocolate pancakes for the group and gets me decaf coffee—even though that is probably worse for my caffeine-inclined veins—the group explains that sometimes the treasure hunt involves finding an item, solving a puzzle, or finding a specific phrase to use.

“We win every hunt,” Tris states matter-of-factly, pouring syrup on her meal.

“Daddy makes it easy, though,” Bea replies.

“Don’t you want to win?” I ask.

“We do!” Tris squeaks.

“Honestly, I wish it was a little harder. But Tris has to understand the games too.”

“That’s very big of you to admit that” I state to the elder girl. “Most people wouldn’t want to play with their sister because they think she’s annoying.”

“Oh no, she is annoying. But she’s my best friend!” Bea states triumphantly.

I look at their dad, taken aback and also floored by their care of each other.

It brings a question to mind.

“Why is your sister your best friend?” I ask Bea as she takes a bite of her pancakes. “Is it cause she’s your sister? Or because she’s your favorite person?”

“Because when Daddy’s busy and Mommy’s not around.”

I sit up straighter, my eyes whipping to Derek, who doesn’t even seem to flinch.

“So, you like that you have a built-in buddy?” I ask.

“She also asked for a sister for a full year before we had Tris,” Derek tells me nonchalantly. “So, she got her wish and her friend.”

“That’s honestly adorable,” I reply.

“Well, hurry up, you guys are almost out of time to finish your breakfast, the next puzzle is coming up!” Derek tells them, the two giddy as they finish their pancakes.

I watch Derek as he cleans, stuffed from the pancakes and trying to avoid any morning sickness. He might be understanding and kind and shown to be a good friend.

But the last thing he needs to know right now is that I’m pregnant.

The girls clean up their places, and their father directs them to clean their dishes in the sink. He gets out of the way, stepping up to me and leaning his arms on the island counter.

“Not what you thought when you walked in here this morning?”

“Not at all,” I insist.

Derek shrugs. “These types of treasure hunts mix in chores that they’ll eventually have to do themselves. Cleaning up after their plates and cleaning the dishes, making their bed, cleaning up their toys.”

“So harsh,” I taunt.

“To teach them and reward them is what they thrive on. They know if they ‘win’ the hunt by doing everything on the list, they’ll be given ice cream or a fun day. I’d rather encourage that environment than a hostile one.”

“Your kids don’t seem to know what that word even means.”

“My kids are a lot smarter than you give them credit for!”

I open my mouth to counter his point, but I never get the chance to do so.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, water shoots from behind Derek, drenching his shirt. The backsplash gets all over my arms, face, hair, and shirt.

Since I had no warning, I let out a scream of shock, my mouth opening and my arms doing a pathetic job of covering myself from the mess.

When the water stops, Derek and I turn to face the girls, who look confused but also happy.

“Oops,” Bea says. “I thought Tris had it in the sink.”

You’ve got to be kidding me.

I open my mouth to say something, but Derek ends up stripping himself of the apron, and then his t-shirt.

Oh, Mama, those are definitely not fake abs.

His muscles and toned body are everywhere. And I have a hard time keeping my eyes to myself. Because he’s just as hot as I remember from the pool.

I think I’ve forgotten how to use my jaw.