by Toni Shiloh
He didn’t want to lose his best friend by trying to help her. Omar stood. The only way to have normalcy was to act like everything was just fine. Hopefully the forced feeling would fade and true ease would take place.
When he walked into the kitchen, the girls were sitting in their high chairs, licking chocolate-covered spoons.
“Daddy!” Faith squealed, jutting her spoon forward. “Choc’late.”
“Is it yummy?”
“Mmm-hmm.”
Both girls grinned in unison, diving for another dip of the batter.
Trinity held out a wooden spoon. “Want some?”
“Nah. I’ll wait for the real deal.”
She arched an eyebrow, flicking some braids over her shoulders. “Omar Young, you’re never too old to lick a cake-battered spoon.”
A memory of them as children licking spoons at Trinity’s parents’ house came to mind. His stomach rumbled. “Is that your mama’s recipe?”
“Nope.” Her dimples flashed as her eyes twinkled with mischief. “But trust me, it’s good.”
“All right. Hand over the spoon and no one has to get hurt.”
The girls giggled when he licked the spoon. He wiped at his mouth. “Are we having just cake for dinner?”
“’Course not.” Trinity tapped her foot on the floor. Then she shrugged. “I hadn’t planned that far out. How about spaghetti?”
“Should you be eating that?”
She arched an eyebrow at his question. “If you must know, I did bring zucchini noodles.”
“For everyone?” He held his breath. He wasn’t a huge vegetable fan.
“Just myself, Omar.”
Phew. “Okay then, that sounds good.” He turned toward Faith and Joy. “Girls?”
“Yes!” Joy squealed.
“She likes p’ghetti a lot, Miss T.” Faith shook her head knowingly.
His three-year-old had a tad bit of a know-it-all personality, but Joy was happy to let Faith take the reins. He prayed they’d always get along so well.
“Great. Omar, wanna help?” Trinity motioned toward the kitchen area.
“Sure.”
He hung his jacket on the back of a chair, rolling up his shirtsleeves. This. This was the normalcy he wanted. They had cooked together countless times before. Why should today be any different?
She’s your wife now. It’s bound to be a little different.
Maybe if he could respect that, his acceptance would minimize the effect of any changes in their relationship. He didn’t want to lose their easy camaraderie. Working on autopilot, he grabbed a pot and filled it with water. At the same time, Trinity grabbed a skillet.
“Please tell me you have defrosted meat.” She propped a hand on her hip and an arch lifted her brow.
“Uh...” He shrugged and opened the fridge. “No ground turkey or beef in here.”
“What is in there?”
He turned to Trinity. “Chicken breast.”
“Chicken Parmesan?”
“Sounds good to me.”
Their movements were in sync as they each carried on their assignments in quiet. Omar couldn’t help but compare it to how he interacted with Christine. She didn’t like anyone in her space and had considered the kitchen hers alone. She’d always said that nothing brought her more joy than cooking for him.
But Trinity wasn’t like that. She expected him to pitch in no matter what. Their friendship had always been that way. Apparently, a couple of I dos and wedding rings wouldn’t change that. Which was a good thing, right?
Then why are you dwelling on it?
He gave a mental shrug. It was like signing the marriage certificate and knowing Trinity was his wife according to the state of Texas had set off all his thoughts and imploded his emotions. It was a good thing neither one of them expected romance or a happily-ever-after. That was more pressure than he could stand.
Right now, he just needed to focus on the here and now. Later, he’d have time to sort his feelings and confront the idea that he’d betrayed Christine today.
Chapter Five
“T, lots bubbles?”
Joy’s wide black eyes reminded Trinity of a doll, so sweet and pure. “Sure, sweetie.”
Trinity stuck a finger under the stream coming from the faucet to check the temperature. The water had taken a bit to warm up, but now it felt just right. She put the stopper in and grabbed the bubble bath bottle. The scent of chewing gum hit her as the liquid quickly foamed and bubbled up in the water.
“Yay!” Faith squealed as Joy clapped with glee.
They were so easy to please. Dinner had gone smoothly, at least that’s what Omar had said. He believed the girls were on their best behavior for company’s sake. The thought unnerved her. She remembered the disbelief her parents had expressed over her taking care of two toddlers.
So far so good, right?
Joy tugged on her shirt and pointed at the bubbles. Trinity scooped one up and pressed it to the little girl’s nose. Her sweet giggles filled the bathroom. The two looked so much alike they could have been twins. The only difference between them was Faith had an inch or two more in height, which made sense because she was the oldest. Plus, her face and body held a roundness that made her a little more solid than Joy.
“While the tub fills up, let’s go grab y’all some pajamas, ’kay?”
“’Kay,” they chimed.
She held their hands as they walked down the hall and into their bedroom. The pink walls were picture free and without adornment except for the cursive F and J above their toddler beds. Pale pink wisps of curtains hung from the window between the two beds.
“Where’s your dresser?”
“In closet.” Joy stuck her thumb in her mouth.
“Oh, don’t do that, sweetie.” She gently tugged on Joy’s thumb.
Trinity walked into the closet, marveling at the space. The space was bigger than the one in her old apartment, with plenty of room for the girls to grow into. She opened the top drawer and grimaced. It looked like a burglar had snuck in and rummaged through the contents. The other drawers were worse, but finally, she found a pair of pajamas for each girl.
“Aha!” She held them up.
Note to self: organize the dresser drawers. She didn’t know if she should blame Omar or the girls for the complete disarray.
She turned to show Faith and Joy, but the room was empty. “Girls?” She spun around, checking the closet. Nothing.
Unease filled her. “Faith? Joy?” She called out into the hall. The sound of giggles lured her forward, and she darted into the bathroom.
Trinity sighed in relief as she took in their sweet faces from the doorway. But that relief quickly faded. Her body jerked, taking in the scene of mayhem before her. Streaks of pink liquid lined the floor, cabinets, and colored the sink and toilet. Joy’s hands froze in a smeared pile of bubble bath on the floor. Judging by the pink handprints on the walls, she’d been doing her own version of finger painting.
Faith stopped midmovement, holding the bubble bath bottle upside down, allowing it to drip into the toilet. Trinity couldn’t figure out where to fix her gaze next. So, she did the next best thing.
“Faith! Joy!”
The girls’ eyes widened at the snappish edge to Trinity’s scolding.
Faith’s bottom lip began to tremble, and Joy’s little body shuddered with sniffles as her eyes filled with tears.
No, no, no!
Trinity squatted to their level, but it was too late. They let out their own variations of a piercing cry that echoed in the bathroom and probably made its way downstairs to where Omar was supposed to be relaxing and watching TV.
Her first mom duty and she’d failed. Footsteps pounded on the stairs, and Trinity winced. Would Omar get angry?
“What in the world?”
; Trinity pivoted on her heel, peering up into Omar’s flabbergasted expression. His mouth had dropped open and his hands were raised in surprised confusion.
“They found the bubble bath.” Even she could hear the chagrined tone in her words.
“Obviously,” he replied dryly. He picked up Joy and patted her on the back to calm her down.
Why hadn’t she thought of that? Faith’s luminous eyes looked at her father as if she wanted the same comfort. Trinity held out her arms, but Faith bypassed her and headed for Omar. She gulped, telling herself the ache in her chest was indigestion and not hurt. After all, it was only the first day. Not even a real full day.
Ugh.
She’d been Miss T all their lives. Being the stepmom would take some time for all of them to get used to. Trinity stood, ignoring the weird ping in her chest. “I forgot to put the bubble bath back into the cabinet. Sorry.”
Omar sighed, nodding quietly in acknowledgment of her apology. He swayed gently back and forth, murmuring softly to the girls as their wails receded, and sniffles and hiccups took their place.
Not knowing what else to do, she grabbed a towel to clean up the mess. She eyed the toilet warily. Would bubbles overflow if she flushed it? The thought of toilet-water bubbles spilling over the bowl had her germ radar alert pinging on high. Still, she couldn’t just let them sit there. She pulled out her cell phone and did a search on bubble bath complications. After finding her answer, she filled her lungs with air and pressed down on the handle. She sighed as the water went down despite the bubbles popping up.
“Trinity, the tub!”
She gaped in horror. How did I forget? She quickly shut off the water. She’d have to do better than this. “No overflow.” She glanced back at Omar, whose brow had furrowed and lips flattened.
“Yeah, but it’s too high for them to sit in. They’re a lot shorter when they’re sitting in a tub.”
“Oh.” Did she know anything? “I’ll let the stopper out and put it back in once it’s lower.”
“Okay. I can help with the girls.”
Trinity wanted to object, but obviously she needed supervision for their first bath.
Once the girls were in the tub, she and Omar worked together silently. After tucking them in, Trinity grabbed the dirty towels from the bathroom and headed for the laundry area near the top of the stairs. A bifold door hid the full-size washer and dryer from view. She grabbed the washer detergent and paused. Would the sound from the machine keep the girls from sleeping? She turned to find Omar and bit back a scream, covering her mouth with her hand.
“Omar!” she squeaked.
He chuckled. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“It’s okay.” The hairs on her arms rose from fright. She pressed a hand to her heart, waiting for it to slow down. “I wasn’t expecting you to be right behind me.” She pointed to the machine. “Will a running washer keep them awake?”
“I don’t think so. I usually do a load in the morning before I head to work. Nancy would help by drying and folding the clothes for me.” He tilted his head to the side. “You hungry? I think all that excitement gave me an appetite.”
Not at all. The night hadn’t gone the way she’d thought, but Trinity didn’t want to decline Omar’s offer. “Sure.”
“Good, we can have cake and ice cream.”
She’d forgotten all about the cake. Even the girls seemed to have forgotten in the mix of the bath-time trauma. She’d have to remember to give them a slice tomorrow. Trinity focused on her friend. “You have ice cream?” Dumb question. She’d never seen Omar eat cake without ice cream; plus, he’d just mentioned it.
“Always.”
A loose laugh tickled free and released some tension. “What kind?”
“Mint chocolate chip, vanilla, chocolate and probably some other flavors.”
“Why do you have so much?”
He paused at the bottom of the stairs and met her gaze. “I’m a growing boy.” He winked.
She chuckled as his warm brown eyes lit up with amusement. She followed him into the kitchen. Omar had already grabbed two bowls and was slicing the chocolate cake. He put a sliver of cake into her bowl and slid it over to her.
At the sight, her stomach awoke. But what was she supposed to do with that tiny piece? Sniff it? “That’s it?”
“Trinity, you’re diabetic.”
Ugh! From one micromanager to the next. “I can have more than this. I’m not even sure how you cut a slice so small.”
He added a bigger portion. “Better?”
“Yes. And one scoop of ice cream please.”
He frowned, so Trinity pulled out her personal diabetes manager. The small Blackberry-looking device would give her the insulin needed to allow her to enjoy the food. “I’m not jeopardizing my health. Promise.”
“Fine.”
He added a scoop to the blue plastic bowl. Earlier she’d realized all his plates and bowls were made of plastic. She guessed that came with parenthood. They felt so light compared to her own dishes and even the ones her mom used.
“Oh, I almost forgot. I got you this.” He pulled a wrapped rectangle-shaped package from the drawer and placed it in front of her. “Happy wedding day.”
Her stomach dropped and she eyed the package warily. Why would he have gotten her a gift? This wasn’t a real marriage. “What is it?”
“Open it. I promise it won’t bite.”
She tore through the wrapper and smiled, part relief and part joy. It was a package of sugar-free, chocolate-covered almonds.
“They’re your favorite, right?”
She nodded, a grin slipping easily onto her face. “Thanks, Omar.”
“Anytime.” He squeezed her hand.
She hesitated, then plunged forward with her thoughts. “I didn’t get you anything.”
“It’s okay. Think of it as a welcome home gift.”
“Okay.” She could do that. As long as he didn’t call it a wedding present. She wanted no part of that farce.
* * *
Omar raised his bowl. “Cheers.”
Trinity chuckled, tapping hers against his.
He took a big scoop of the chocolate cake and then dove into the mint chocolate chip ice cream. Yum. A noise of appreciation must have slipped out because Trinity asked if it was good. “Very.” He finished swallowing. “Are you going to tell me what the ingredients are?”
Her eyes crinkled at the corners. “No, sir. Just enjoy.”
“I will.”
Silence settled between them as they ate. His mind shifted to the bath-time disaster. Thankfully a little cake and ice cream made the incident seem like a distant memory. Although now, his brain brought up the horrified expression on Trinity’s face when he had walked in. His shoulders shook as he tried to repress laughter.
“What’s got you going?”
He shook his head, pressing a fist to his mouth, but it was no use. Guffaws fell as his body shook. “You...should...have...seen...your...face.” He gasped out in between bouts of laughter, then mimed a horrified expression.
Trinity’s mouth parted and then finally, she joined in, shaking her head. “I think I was in shock.”
“For a moment I thought you were going to cry like the girls. I’m pretty sure I saw your bottom lip quivering.” He snorted, shaking his head.
“I was tempted. I’ve never seen such a mess.”
“Oh, you should have seen Nancy trying to scrub permanent marker from the kitchen table once.” His laughter subsided as he thought of his mother-in-law. He startled when Trinity laid a hand on his.
“I’m sorry, Omar.”
“Thanks.” He swallowed around the ache that seemed to always linger. Would the blanket of grief ever lift?
And how selfish was he? He got to see his girls grow up, to laugh over their antics
...while Christine and Nancy would never have the chance.
He stood, the kitchen bar stool scraping the floors with a cringe-inducing noise. “I think I’ll head upstairs.”
“Are you sure? We could watch some TV or stream something.” Trinity watched him closely.
Didn’t he owe it to Trinity to at least hang out with her on their wedding day? She was giving up her independence just to help him raise his kids. Hadn’t he put companionship in the pros column? “You’re right. We should watch a movie.”
Trinity nodded and relief pushed back the worry in her eyes. “Action film?”
“You don’t want to watch a chick flick?”
“Always. But I thought you preferred action movies.”
“Of course I do, but I think you should pick.” He almost said because it was their wedding day, but he didn’t have the energy to try to normalize it anymore.
Don’t focus on it.
Usually they’d flip a coin to pick a movie. Of course. Why hadn’t he thought of that sooner? He pulled a quarter out his pocket. “Flip for it?”
Trinity smiled. “Perfect. I call heads.”
He flipped it in the air and pointed to the back of the coin. “Tails.” He rubbed his hands together. “I wonder what I’ll choose.”
Trinity rolled her eyes, but a small smile covered her lips. They moved into the living room, and he scrolled through the movie options. He didn’t want to completely bore her, so he selected the latest superhero movie. It wasn’t a chick flick, but it wouldn’t have her falling asleep either.
As they settled onto the couch, a comfortable silence fell between them. Omar let out a slow exhale. Right now, at this moment, he could believe they’d be okay. Bath time had been full of drama, but they both came out smiling. Together.
He looked at his best friend. “Thanks for being my friend, Trinity.”
“How could I not be? BFFs?” She held out a fist.
He tapped his against hers. “Forever.” It was their tradition, one they’d created as children. He’d refused to repeat the acronym and after much compromise, settled on “forever” to cement the statement. Omar slid an arm around Trinity, giving her a side hug. “I’m so thankful for you.”