Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 60848 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 304(@200wpm)___ 243(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60848 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 304(@200wpm)___ 243(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
I opened the door and as he turned to face front, three chip bags tumbled to the floor. He jerked in reaction, likely thinking he’d catch one or more of the bags. Why I have no idea, because movement of any kind guaranteed the whole thing would topple like the house of cards he’d built with Zelda and Kira.
As expected, it did. The only thing he managed to not drop were the cans of soda in the bottom of the basket. Microwave popcorn, chips (of course), various bags of candy, salsa (in a plastic jar, thank God), and a list of apps and passwords for any kind of streaming service the girls could possibly think up. The ordinary domesticity of the situation struck me as absurdly endearing. This enormous man, clutching a laundry basket full of junk food for movie night like precious cargo. Except most of it was now on the floor.
Tiny stood there looking as shocked as a man could. I had to cover my mouth to keep from laughing. Which lasted until I heard Zelda heft a loud, exasperated sigh. “I mean, at least you didn’t bring lame junk food. Like celery sticks and apples with peanut butter or something.”
Tiny gave a sigh of relief as he knelt to pick up the dropped snacks. Of course, I helped him. Zelda just looked down at him with her hands on her hips taking in the junk food smorgasbord. “You get a pass for dropping all the stuff since you got a good variety, but don’t let it happen again.”
Kira punched her sister in the tit as she hurried to help.
“Hey! Why’d you do that?”
“Don’t be mean to Tiny,” Kira said as she knelt to help us pick up the various bags. “Just because he didn’t prove to be as lame as you thought and bring pseudo-junk food doesn’t mean it’s his fault.”
Tiny gave Kira a solemn look. “I spent fifteen years in prison. Junk food ain’t peanut butter and celery.” As if that explained the whole thing.
Kira broke out in an absolutely beautiful smile. “I knew you’d understand!”
The girls scooped up all the stuff Tiny had brought and headed to the kitchen, jabbering and bickering good naturedly as they went.
“Why did you look so relieved when Zelda preferred real junk food instead of healthy food?”
Tiny glanced around, leaning to the side so he could see around me, probably to see where the girls were. Then he turned back to me and whispered. “Because I had a fruit and veggie tray. Caleb plucked it out of my hands and replaced it with that basket right before I knocked. Didn’t say anything other than ‘You’re welcome’ and kept going.” I actually snorted a laugh before Tiny gave me a pained look and hunched his shoulders. “Shh!” he hissed out. “If Zelda hears, I’ll never live it down.”
“Why would you bring a veggie tray? Fruit, I could see. But vegetables?”
“I thought you might not approve of real junk food.” He looked so distressed now I couldn’t help but wrap my arms around his middle and hug him.
Just like that, I fell completely for this big man and his even bigger heart. There were obstacles to work out, for sure, but this was a man I desperately needed in my life for so many reasons I couldn’t list them all. The fact he cared about my feelings with regard to something as simple as what my girls ate told me he’d be more of a father to Zelda and Kira than Andy had ever been.
It didn’t take long for the girls to pick the silliest, most annoying rom-com in the whole entire universe. While the opening credits were going, they spread out everything Tiny had brought on the coffee table and sat on a quilt in front of the big TV.
When everything was ready, Tiny settled on one end of the couch. The message was clear. I could sit as close or as far away as I wanted. I smiled at him. Despite knowing Andy still had to be dealt with, despite the terror from earlier, I hadn’t felt this contented in my entire life. There was nowhere I wanted to sit other than right next to Tiny.
So I sat next to him, tucked my legs under myself, and snuggled against Tiny. I looked up at him as he gazed down at me, happiness radiating from him. Slowly, probably to give me time to change my mind, Tiny moved one arm around my shoulders and pulled me close. His whole body relaxed, and he slouched comfortably in the cushions. I was pretty sure if I Googled the phrase “satisfied expression” there would be a picture of Tiny with the exact look on his face he was wearing now.
I was sure Tiny would hate the movie they picked out. Likely that was why they chose it. Instead, he surprised us all by laughing through the whole movie, commenting occasionally when one of the girls did. By the end of it, I was certain he’d enjoyed the movie more than the girls had, while Zelda, Kira, and I got our entertainment from watching Tiny.