|Completed | A crossover w/ @_ntsha (go to her profile for her version!)
Four strangers from diverse walks of life meet on a cruise and spend an unforgettable week together-all of them on their own self-discovering journeys and onboard for different...
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"Cassie!" Emereigh ran over to me as I snuck into her daycare to surprise her. It's been a few days since I have last seen her because she's back with her dad, but I miss her. I called Rick and asked if it was okay if I picked her up, and he agreed. "You're here!"
My eyes widened. "I'm here, and I had a taste for something. What was it?" I pretended to think and palmed the top of her head. "Oh, yeah. Ice cream!"
Emmy jumped up and down, gasping loud enough for the rest of the kids to look at her. "No way? You're getting me ice cream? Right now?"
"Way!" I nodded my head. "Let's get out of here, yeah?"
Once I checked her out, we jogged to the car and strapped in. "How's everything with your dad?"
"It's so fun! We have tea parties and play dress up all the time. But he doesn't let me eat donuts." Her smile turned upside down. "I missed him, and I'm happy to have my daddy back. He's not sick anymore."
I couldn't help but smile as I continued driving us to the shop. "You never lost him, sweetheart. He loves you so much, and it makes me so happy for you."
"Oh! I almost forgot!" Emmy went silent as I parked and dug through her princess book bag. "I made this for your birthday. I hope you like it because I can only color, not draw. I think your head looks like a football."
I laughed, observing the picture Emmy made of us at the park. She drew a dog, but it had a red X because she's scared of them. I trailed off, staring at the drawing, roaming my eyes around my head shape and the colorful outfit she had us wearing.
"You know my head is not that big!" I set the picture on the passenger seat and looked back. "But it's the best gift that I ever got. I'm going to keep it forever and get you back with an even bigger head."
"Game on!" Em exclaimed, pushing the door open to secure our spot in line. I wish I had more time to hang out with her, but I told Gael I would go with him to dinner at Terrence's house. I didn't get a chance to speak with him since the horrible situation with his nephew, and I think he may need the company. But she was so excited to spend a little time together, and she couldn't stop talking about daycare and her dad.
I ordered a small chocolate ice cream cup because I didn't want to ruin my appetite for dinner. Emereigh got the same but in a cone. We sat on a bench, enjoying the dessert before I had to take her home.
Her face turned upward. "Brain freeze, and I'm dying."
"Do this!" I pressed my thumb to the roof of my mouth as Emmy followed my movements. "Does it feel better?" When I was in school, I had a brain freeze, and this guy told me that if you hold your boobs, the freeze will go away. Being dumb, I did it and fell right into that trap. I mean, I barely had boobs until high school, but I always wore oversized clothing.
She shook her head. "I think my brain is actually frozen this time. Too much ice cream."
After sitting for a few minutes to finish, we discarded our trash and got back in the car. Emmy had chocolate stains all over her mouth and tried getting it off with her tongue but missed.
