Cool Mom

22: Dinner With Parents

I enter the living room where Daniel is perched on the arm of a sofa, scrolling through his messages. He looks up when he senses me in the room.

"Wow. You look beautiful." He comments, making me blush as he pulls me into a kiss. I have to lean down a bit to meet his lips. But then I'm in his arms as he stands up and pushes a hand into my hair to keep me from pulling away. When he lets me move away, I'm breathing heavily, my heart racing and butterflies in my stomach.

"I love you." He says, leaning his forehead against mine. "I love you even more when you're blushing."

My cheeks become warmer as I smack his arm, making him laugh.

The sound of Hazel and my parents on the stairs makes me run a hand through my hair and down the front of my silk romper. The three appear in the room just as I get my emotions under control.

Hazel runs to her father and jumps into his open arms.

"Should we go?" I ask.

"I am starving!" Mom exclaims, making me smile.

We leave the house and drive to the Chinese restaurant that Daniel and I chose for tonight's dinner. It's a cozy little place with delicious food only fifteen minutes away from our house. So, we're there before Hazel finishes her story about Vanessa.

Once the car is parked, I unbuckle Hazel's car seat and then take her hand before following the other's into the restaurant. We're seated at a semi-circle table with a grill in the center where the chef will be cooking the food.

Hazel is in a high chair between mom and dad with mom to my one side and Daniel to the other. We decide our order and the chef arrives to start making it. Our drinks are served and I have to scold Hazel before she agrees to have water instead of Coke.

A waiter brings Hazel some coloring pages and colors to keep her busy. After a few minutes, dad and she are having a coloring competition to see whose page looks prettier.

"How's work, Daniel?" Mom asks leaning across me.

"It's going well. We are hoping to extend offices to France in a few months." He tells her.

"That's wonderful!" Mom beams at my husband as proud as any mother would be.

"What have you been up to these days?" She asks, nudging me with her elbow.

"Hazel is enough work." I sigh, looking at my three year old daughter.

"So no news about baby number two?" She smirks, nudging me again.

"Mom!" I groan, burying my face in my hands. Next to I hear Daniel laughing with my mother. They know how much I hate 'baby' talk!

"You two are evil!" I groan into my hands.

"We love you baby." Mom says, rubbing my back and I feel Daniel take my hand. I smile at them both, happy that they are over the childishness of teasing me.

"But a little baby would be nice, though." Mom smiles at me innocently and I shake my head, sighing.

I'm saved from more teasing as Hazel exclaims. "Mine!"

"But my doll has prettier clothes." Dad argues, pointing at his coloring page.

"No!" Hazel protests.

"Shall we ask the others?" He asks, crossing his arms like a little child refusing to budge.

Hazel nods and holds up the two pages for the rest of us to see.

"Wow Hazel!" "That is amazing!" Daniel and I remark on our daughter's page which is better than any three year olds would be.

"Dad, Hazel is the winner." I smile as he makes a big show of being sad about losing while mom rubs his arm to mock comfort him.

"It's okay." Hazel tells him, leaning out of her chair and hugging her grandfather who hugs her back.

I smile at the two, happy to finally have some of my family back with me.