Even my wildest dreams couldn't have prepared me for the sight that I am looking at right now.
Klay is holding Hope's hand, swinging their arms back and forth in a playful manner as they walk down the sidewalk towards the small ice cream parlor. What pulls at my heart most is the way these two are looking at each other. Hope has the biggest smile on her face as she animatedly tells Klay all about her favorite doll, and Klay's eyes are alit with joy and humor as he glances down at her occasionally to let her know he is listening.
At first I had been walking beside Hope as well, but I couldn't find any words to say. Klay didn't seem to know what to say either, until Hope had taken his hand in hers and began to talk his ear off about all of her toys. Instead of groaning and trying to escape like I thought he would, Klay had smiled at her and engaged in conversation.
Am I impressed? Extremely. I mean come on, how many big strong manly basketball players know anything about Barbie?
"And she gots a pretty purple dress! With lots of sparkles, and a red car! And a-..." Hope continues to babble on excitedly.
I'm just watching and waiting for Klay to lose his patience with her, to finally crack and throw his hands up in the air and storm off. Having spent everyday with Hope, I'm used to talking to her and amusing her, but Klay...he spends all of his time around adults. Part of me feels sympathetic for what he is dealing with right now.
My feet stop dead in their tracks as I watch Klay swoop down and pick Hope up in his arms before slinging her up over his shoulders so she is sitting on them, and she squeals excitedly and claps her hands as he hangs on to her legs.
"Well Barbie sounds like she's got it goin' on," he remarks, causing Hope to giggle and warmth to shoot straight to my heart. My legs begin to wobble as I slowly follow the two of them.
The way he treats her...it's almost as if she were his own daughter. My vision begins to blur as tears form in my eyes, and before I can delve any further into my thoughts, I realize that Klay and Hope have stopped walking.
"Come on, mommy! I want ice cream!" Hope yells, causing me to chuckle. I guess my thoughts will have to wait.
. . .
Twenty minutes later, we're seated in a booth in the small shop, which thankfully seems to be quite empty today. The last thing I want to do is expose Hope to the spotlight that Klay seems to be in all of the time. Come to think of it, it didn't seem as if anyone was following us to on the walk here. Did Klay have something to do with this?
Noticing that Hope is staring in awe the menu, I take the opportunity to question Klay, leaning closer to whisper to him, "I didn't see one flash go off or hear a string of paparazzi behind us. And this place is completely empty, on a sunday..."
Klay's face gives nothing away as he looks at me. "Yeah. So?"
"It's unheard of. This place usually has tons of customers!" I know this because Ava goes here often, and all she ever does is complain about how long the lines are, especially on the weekend.
Klay avoids my eyes and shrugs as he focuses his attention back down on the menu. "Maybe people don't want ice cream today."
A snort escapes my mouth. "Yeah, and maybe people suddenly don't want to see the Warriors play."
His lips twitch up in amusement, and I can't help the small smile that forms on my lips. Klay's warm eyes meet mine, and a light blush rises onto my cheeks as I stare into them.
"Pink ice cream! With lots and lots of sprinkles! Klay says I get lots of sprinkles!"
Hope's voice breaks our stare off, and when I turn my head, I realize that the waiter is standing there taking down our order. Wow, I was so caught up in Klay that I didn't even hear him approach.
The waiter then turns his attention on to me, and before I can say what I want, Klay's voice rinhs through the air. "We'll have the Everything But The Kitchen Sink Sundae, with extra caramel sauce and three cherries, please."
A tear slides down my cheek, and I feel myself begin to choke up as memories of the two of us ordering that back in Orange County surface. He remembers...
"Mommy, you're crying!" Hope exclaims, and I quickly wipe it away and give her a watery smile.
"It's ok, Hope. I'm just happy," I try to tell her, but I must mot be convincing enough, because she turns to Klay and pats his bicep with her small hand.
"Klay! Why is mommy crying? We gots ice cream!"
He chuckled quietly, and I gasp when his hand holds onto mine on top of the table. "I think your mommy is crying because she's so happy to have ice cream."
Hope stays quiet for a moment, and I watch as she lays her head against Klay's arm. He rips his eyes away from me to stare down at the little girl by his side, and more tears form in my eyes when he lifts his arm up and pulls her into his side, placing a soft kiss atop of her head.
The ice cream comes just a few minutes later, and Hope was very happy when her junior scoop of strawberry ice cream came out, with lots of sprinkles on top and whip cream and a cherry, just like Klay had promised. Nothing could make her happier.
It wasn't until the waiter brought Klay and I's sundae to the table that I realized how much that wasn't true. The moment Hope laid eyes on it, I knew that it would be the three of us sharing it. Judging by the tender smiles Klay keeps giving her, there is no way he can deny her anything.
The three of us are having a really good time being out together, and the longer we sit here, the more I learn about how good Klay is with kids. He's more silly and goofy than people think that he is, and he is perfect company for Hope. The smile slips from my face as I begin to think about what the future holds. In just a small matter of hours, Hope has already begun to love Klay, but what if he doesn't want to stick around? The thought of having to explain to her why he isn't in her life anymore...
Quickly shaking my head, I push those thoughts to the back of my mind. Klay gives me a questioning look, but I ignore it as I turn my focus onto Hope, who is bouncing up and down in her seat with energy.
Oh no. A little kid with a sugar high on a sunday afternoon? Not. Good.
"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," I whisper to him so she doesn't hear me. Klay just smirks at me.
"I disagree," he tells me and winks, before looking down at Hope, "do you like the monkey bars, Hope?"
She shakes her head and crosses her little arms. "No! I can't do them. Mommy won't let me."
With a sigh, I give her a sympathetic smile. "Maybe in a year you can, hunny, but you're too little right now."
Klay rolls his eyes at me and shakes his head before feigning a look of shock on his face for Hope. "Too little? I don't think so. I see a big girl sitting next to me, one who can do anything she sets her little heart on. Come on."
He stands from the booth and lifts Hope into his arms, holding her with one and reaching his free hand out to me with a smile on his face. "Come on, babygirl."
How can I possibly say no when he calls me that?
. . .
Hope smiles wide as Klay holds her up and instructs her on how to conquer the monkey bars. "There you go, princess. Just take it one at a time. Alternate your hands...just like that, good job!"
"Look mommy, look!" She yells excitedly, and I clap my hands together from my seat on the wooden fence a few feet away.
"I see, hun, I see. I'm so proud of you."
As soon as they reach the end, Klay sets her down and bends so he is at her level. "Alright, ready to try it by yourself?"
Fear fills Hope's eyes and her lip begins to tremble as she stares at him. "N-no, I can't..."
Klay gives her a hug and a peck on the head. "Yes you can. I believe in you, princess. You're a big girl, you can do it. I'll be right here to catch you if you fall. Trust me, I won't let anything happen to you."
He speaks to her so fiercely that I have a feeling that he is talking about protecting hee from much more than just falling, and that melts my heart.
Hope nods her head once, and I watch with baited breath as Klay lifts her up and waits for her to grab on to the first bar. He lets her go, and I cover my eyes and watch through the small gaps inbetween my fingers as Hope reaches for the next bar...
...and she grabs it. My mouth drops open and I allow my hands to fall as I watch her slowly conquer all of the bars. When she reaches the end, Klay embraces her and spins her around in the air.
"You did it, princess! That's my big girl!" He tells her, and my heart overfills with joy when Hope gives Klay an eskimo kiss and hugs him back tightly.
"I love you, Klay," she says as she lays her head on his shoulder and closes her eyes, a content smile on her face.
Klay freezes, and his mouth falls slightly open and his eyes fill with unshed tears. Silent tears fall down my cheeks as he holds her tighter and lets out a shaky breath. "I love you too, Hope."
His eyes meet mine, and I can see the happiness reflected in them. And suddenly, I want for there to desperately be an 'us'. The way he is with Hope, the way he treats me...I couldn't ask for anything more.
Standing, I slowly make my way over to him and set my hand on his free shoulder. His gaze becomes smoldering as his brown eyes bore down into mine, causing want to course all throughout my body and a shiver to run down my spine.
"Klay, I really want to talk about-..." I begin, but before I can finish, bright lights flashing from various directions blind me, and I quickly shield my eyes with my arm.
"No! Damnit!" Klay curses, and I feel his arm wrap around my waist and pull me into him, my face burried in his chest.
"Klay! Klay! Who's the girl?"
"Is this your daughter? Is this woman your baby mama?"
"Are you out having an affair on Desiree Deligave? Does she know about this?"
The paparazzi continue to fire questions left and right, and the sound of cameras snapping seem to be never ending. All I want to do is grab Hope and get as far away from this as possible.
"Mommy!" Hope wails helplessly as the paparazzi continue to bombard us, and my heart breaks at how scared she sounds.
Suddenly, it seems like one of my biggest fears is coming true. What started out to be such an amazing day has just quickly turned into my worst nightmare.