Dad’s Policeman Friend by Lena Little
6
Camila
“Extra sprinkles, please?” I smile big and bring my shoulders to my ears. The elderly server at the small ice cream stand in the middle of the park flashes me an even bigger smile and dumps two more teaspoons of sprinkles on top of my ice cream cone, with pistachios lining the top of the cone.
“How long have you been married?” the woman asks.
I blush, but Caden doesn’t miss a beat. “Going on five years now.”
“And you’re still in love. So beautiful to see.”
Caden nods to the woman and takes my left hand as I lick away at the ice cream cone in my right as we step away. Once we’re out of earshot I hip-check him. “Only five years?” I joke. “What if you get the seven year itch and decide I’m not worth it.”
“I already decided you are, for life, the moment I laid eyes on you.”
“Not the moment you laid eyes on me. You saw me as a kid.”
“Waaaaay different. You’re a woman now. A young one, but a woman nonetheless.”
We continue walking along a gravel path throw the park, underneath some pine trees where squirrels seem to play with the cones on the ground.
“You mind if we sit for a minute?”
“We will just wait another couple of minutes. I promise it will be worth it.”
He’s right. So far everything about Caden has been worth it. He’s showed me a protective side, a possessive side, and now a slowed-down romantic side. And right on cue, two minutes later, the park opens up and there’s a beautiful pond with swans and even an empty rowboat tied to an old dock.
“Whoa,” I gasp, finishing the last of my ice cream as Caden leads me down to the water’s edge and lifts me up and onto the dock.
“Are we going to go for a boat ride?”
He nods and then helps me to the bow. “Ready?”
“Ready.”
He pushes off the dock and grabs the oars, rowing slowly through a sea of lily pads. I hear a few frogs and two swans even swim up to see what we’re all about, wrapping their necks together when they approach the boat.
“Caden, this is the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me. Actually, it’s the only romantic thing anyone has ever done for me. How can I ever top it?”
“Girl, I’ve got plans and ideas you can’t even dream of yet.”
I shake my head in disbelief. “If you do then…I’m yours.”
“We already established that.”
I don’t laugh. I don’t smile. I just melt into the wooden seat, knowing it’s true, wondering how a man so perfect isn’t taken yet, especially considering he’s my dad’s age.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“You just did.”
I laugh. “How come you’re still single?”
“When you’re a cop it’s tough to be married. It’s hard on your family, and from what I saw when I first started out you have to make a decision. You can be married, and it will be hard, or you can just be married to your work. I chose the latter.”
“But no one ever piqued your interest?”
“Not a single one.”
“Why is that?” I ponder aloud.
Caden guides the boat around a downed tree, and I swear this moment is straight out of The Notebook or some similar movie.
“No one made me feel like this. No one ever made me feel a sense of completion. Sure, I was introduced to women plenty of times, people even tried to set me up on dates but I never went. I just didn’t feel the need to date or the urge. Women were just a distraction in terms of making the world a better place. But now…it’s different. There’s something about you. It’s like an itch that you scratch just by being you. And maybe knowing your dad and having him as a best friend for so long makes you feel close to me already. You give me my ultimate challenge in protection while keeping our little tight-knit group intact.”
“You don’t think my dad’s going to object?”
“I know he’s going to object and I have to figure out a way to deal with that.”
“Well, we’ve got a week until he gets back.”
“And I plan on spending all of my free time during those seven days with you.”
“Me too.”
“And that gives me time to think of a way to sit down and talk with your dad. I’m not going to sneak around behind his back, but I’m also not just going to throw it out there the minute he steps off the plane.”
“Maybe I can talk to him,” I suggest.
“No. It’s my job as the man. You don’t need to worry about it a bit.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. The balls in my court and I’ll come up with something that will work.”
“I just don’t want either of us to damage our relationship with my dad.”
“Neither do I, but know this.” He moves the oars backward in the water, stopping the movement of the boat. “You’re more important to me than anyone in the world. If there’s a compromise that has to be made, it won’t be in regards to you.”
I nod, and Caden stands in the boat causing it to wobble a bit from side to side.
“Don’t fall.”
“I do pistol squats every day. I have the balance of a cheetah standing on a branch high up a tree in the Serengeti, overlooking the vast landscape.”
“And what does that cheetah see?” I wink.
“The woman of his dreams.”
He squats in front of me, taking my face in his hands, and kisses me. Slowly he releases one hand and reaches back, taking hold of one oar and moving it swiftly so the small rowboat starts spinning in a circle. I tilt my head back and look up at the sky, feeling lost in a dream.
I just hope the situation with my dad doesn’t turn this dream into a nightmare.
