Robyn
Rich & Hungry
Robyn: I'm planning on going to Central Park this morning to paint. Can I take Reyna for a picnic?
Robyn: This is also an open invite. Anyone who is free can join!
Saturdays were always the most blissful. The week was over and I still had another day before Monday. How could it get better than that?
Painting in my apartment wasn't cutting it for me anymore. I wanted to go out and be in nature to actually feel like creating something. So, of course, I used this as an opportunity to spend some time with my favorite little girl in the world.
Rich & Hungry
Ariadne: I'll stop by after work if you're still there!
Damon: If Reyna can fit me into her schedule, she's mine tomorrow.
Bella: That works because Christian called dibs on her today. Robyn, you guys could take her together?
My heart stopped in my chest. As much as I wanted to scream yes from the rooftops, I knew spending time with the man I was trying to get over was the very last thing I needed.
Rich & Hungry
Robyn: Oh, that's alright. I don't want to intrude. I'll take her some other day.
Francis: I would feel a lot more comfortable leaving my kid with Christian if you were around, Robyn.
Christian: Ha.
What the fuck was I supposed to say?
Rich & Hungry
Robyn: Are you sure?
Christian: I'll pick you both up from Bella's in an hour.
Ariadne: Just realized I have something this evening so I can't come! Next time :)
I rolled my eyes. Before Damon and Ariadne started dating, I did everything in my power to set the two of them up. This was her way of getting back at me for it.
I stared at my reflection in the mirror. It was clear of makeup and I considered putting some on before backtracking and realizing I shouldn't get dolled up for this outing. I wasn't trying to attract anyone anymore. In fact, the more repulsive I looked, it was probably better.
After filling my bag with tons of snacks and goodies for Reyna–ones her mother would never find out I was feeding her–I grabbed my sketchbook and walked out the door. I took the bus, not wanting to drive in busy Saturday afternoon traffic and it would put me near the Duvals roughly at the agreed upon time. The long walk from the stop to their gated home was beautiful and I stepped on every single leaf on the way there, giggling happily at the crunches.
Bella swung the door open immediately and looked me up and down in an approving smile.
"You look like a dream," she said, ushering me inside. "A wet dream in that skirt, if you ask me."
She never did have a filter.
I stared at her horrified. "What?"
Her blue eyes twinkled.
I swatted her arm lightly and walked straight into the kitchen. Francis sat at the table sipping his coffee while Reyna picked up pre-cut pieces of waffles from her plate, dunking them in inordinate amounts of maple syrup while her mother looked away.
"Feeding her tons of sugar just for me?" I shot Francis a dry look as I kissed the top of Reyna's head.
"Nothing compared to all the stuff you'll feed her throughout the day, I'm sure," he said, not lifting his eyes from the newspaper. I grinned. Even though Francis knew we all spoiled his daughter rotten, he didn't tell Bella. Otherwise, she most certainly would have come for our wigs by now.
"Nice outfit," he eyed me carefully. Francis wasn't very liberal with his compliments, so I narrowed my eyes at him.
"What does that mean?"
He arched an eyebrow. "It was quite a simple statement, Little Hale."
"Why are the two of you acting so weird about what I'm wearing?" I gestured to my body.
He shrugged, taking another sip of his coffee. "I remember Christian in college. And I've known him all my life."
"And?"
"And," he said with a smile full of mischief, "disons simplement qu'il aimerait vraiment cette jupe."
Before I could respond to try and understand what the hell that was supposed to mean, Bella came behind me, handing me a bowl of freshly cut fruit, popping a piece of juicy mango in my mouth. Only imported Indian mangoes for this one.
"So, listen," Bella quipped, "Francis and I have a dinner tonight. I'm not sure when we'll be back. Would you mind waiting here with her until we do? I promise we will try not to be too late."
"We will not be too late," Francis certified. He hated social gatherings to the highest degree. It was why he and Ariadne got along so well and she was on his team from the beginning.
"Of course! I'll stay however long you need."
"Thank you so much," Bella hugged me. "And you have your key, right?"
I jingled my massive key bunch in front of her. I had car keys, studio keys, the keys to my home, Damon's home, Bella's home, and my parent's apartment as well. There was no shortage of homes for me to crash into whenever I wanted. We all had each other's security codes for safety purposes too, especially after the events that transpired two years ago. I was no stranger to surprise visits from my family just to make sure I was okay. Me living alone in New York was something that stressed them all out constantly.
"Amazing," she nodded. "Not too much sugar before bed. Bedtime is 8 PM sharp. Oh and, she's allergic to bees. Please be careful. Don't let her get too close to the water, she gets too excited and almost falls in every single time–"
Francis chuckled coolly. "They're going to the park, not Thailand, papillon."
Before I could echo Francis' sentiment, a horn blared outside.
Bella rolled her eyes, muttering, "Why can't he be normal and just ring the doorbell?" and headed to the door.
"What about your brother suggests he is normal?" Francis asked, spitting the last word out. I chuckled under my breath, helping Reyna to her feet.
"Are you excited, Reyna? We're going on a picnic!" I asked her. She clapped her hands loudly and placed a sloppy kiss on my cheek as I lifted her up and carried her outside.
My heart fluttered when I saw Christian in his casual jeans and a gray V-neck sweater, leaning against the passenger seat of his car. Bella was talking his ears off too, probably giving him all the same warnings, as she gave me while fastening Reyna's car seat in the back of his car.
When he saw us walk through the door, he pushed off the car and uncrossed his arms, ignoring his little sister entirely. Reyna's stubby arms reached for her uncle immediately and he picked her up, shooting me a quick look. His gaze lingered for a moment as he tipped his Wayfarers down and looked at me, trailing me from head to toe, staring at my face for a second too long.
"What?" I asked, feeling my face heat up.
"Hi."
"Hey."
"You look nice."
Stunned, I couldn't do anything but blink and shuffle on my feet. "Thank you."
He shook his head before turning back to Reyna. It sounded suspiciously like he muttered, "How are you even real?" but I refrained from asking.
"Hi doll," he said, nuzzling his nose into her cheek.
"Up, up, up," Reyna demanded.
"Let's remember our manners, ma chérie," Bella chided in a cool voice.
"Up, please," Reyna tried again.
Christian tossed her up in the air before catching her. She laughed loud and clear, asking for more.
"God help me," Francis muttered behind me but the smile on his face betrayed him.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of her." I patted his arm reassuringly.
"I know. That's the only reason I agreed to this." He winked, holding the passenger side door open for me. I took a deep breath, and slid in, the cool leather of the seats touching my bare thighs. Either that or the presence of the man sitting next to me made me shiver slightly.
"Make sure you give your uncle a difficult time today, darling," Bella said, kissing her daughter's ruddy cheek.
"Pull his hair really hard," Francis suggested.
"Or step on his thousand-dollar shoes," Bella whispered.
Christian shot her an unamused look through the rear-view mirror but rubbed a smile off his face. Bella wore nothing but Manolo Blahniks and Louboutins. I wondered how many of her shoes Reyna had ruined.
"Je t'aime tellement, ma chérie," Francis said to Reyna.
"Je t'aime, Papa," she giggled. How many two-year-olds were bilingual too?
"Bring my kid back in one piece or it's over for you, Ryder," Francis threatened, blowing his daughter a kiss. Not exactly the most menacing picture.
We didn't speak much until we'd settled down in the park. I set a blanket down onto the grass, dumping out the contents of my bag onto the blanket: candy bars, gummy worms, chips, cookies, and even fresh fruit for the sake of saying I brought her fresh fruit.
Christian raised an eyebrow. "Bella is not going to like all that."
"That's why Mama will never know," I grinned, bending down to Reyna's ear. "Right?"
"Right," Reyna nodded, before pressing a finger to her lips and shushing Christian. He threw his head back in rare, genuine laughter and sat down next to us, stretching his legs out with his arms behind him.
"God, you could always get away with anything."
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
He slanted me a look. "I mean, you were always so sweet and pretty and innocent looking that you never got in trouble for anything."
"Because I never caused trouble," I pointed out.
"Oh, please. You were nothing but trouble for me. You have any idea how bad Damon would have beaten my ass—"
"Christian." I darted a look between him and Reyna.
He just chuckled. "You have any idea how much trouble I would have been in if Damon knew how much I slept in your room?"
My gut twisted as I forced a smile to my face. "A lot?"
"A lot," he confirmed. Silence hung in the air for a moment before he said, "Robyn."
I looked at him through my lashes.
"I wouldn't have traded it for the world. You know that right? Not for anything."
My chest collapsed on itself. Why was it so painful just breathing the same air as him?
"I'd take a thousand punishments from anyone in the world for one minute with you."
Blowing some hair out of my face, I forced the tears to stay within me. "You say the sweetest things, Christian Ryder."
A flash of pain crossed his face before he replied, "You're worth saying them to, Robyn Hale."
I took tons of pictures of Reyna skipping barefoot, laughing, and playing with Christian. She busied herself with running in circles all around us, tossing balls in the air and throwing them at Christian as hard as he could. He pretended to be struck down by them but when Reyna came to check on him, he tackled her into the air and tickled her tiny feet until she couldn't stop laughing. I'd never seen him laugh this much either.
When she was all tired out and the afternoon sun was at its peak, she crawled into Christian's lap and yawned.
"Tired?" He asked her, smoothing her hair out of her face.
"Sleepy," she mumbled groggily and I smiled. She threw her arms around his neck and nuzzled her face into his shoulder before giggling. "Your face is tickling me."
He grinned wide, rubbing the scruff on his face. "Sorry, doll. I'll make sure to get rid of it next time."
I cringed internally. As elegant as he was clean shaven, I liked his face with a little stubble. It made him look more laid back, more like the boy I knew. Christian leaned back onto the grass completely, with one hand bent behind his head, and the other wrapped tightly around his niece. She laid flat on his chest, already falling asleep.
I had no idea how long I stared at them, gazing at the serenity on her sleeping face and the tranquility on his. I don't think I had seen him so peaceful in a long time, every single muscle in his face so relaxed and calm, his lips pulled into a small smile even though he seemed to be asleep too.
Rising up to my feet, I hovered over them and took a quick picture, acknowledging that it was kind of creepy but discarding that thought entirely because I knew he'd appreciate the picture still.
With the weight of an anvil on my chest, I was still looking down at the photo when an older woman came up to me and tapped my arm to say, "I just had to come up and tell you, you have a beautiful little family."
My pulse quickened and I didn't have the heart to tell her that we weren't.
That we never would be.
So, I just whispered, "Thank you."