"Hey, Zo?" Ella begins timidly. Her gaze moves from the kitten in her lap to the man sitting on the couch. He merely hums his acknowledgement, not looking up from the paper in his hands. This frustrates Ella, but she continues anyway, "Why don't you live here?"
"What do you mean, El?" Zola questions, his full attention now on the girl in front of him.
"You're gonna be the baby's dad. You're gonna be a good dad. Good dads should be around all the time," Ella admits, turning her attention to the cat in her lap. She can't look at Zola for some reason.
Her words surprise Zola. He's not sure how to respond right away. Eventually he manages, "Thank you, El. I hope I will be too. Do you want me to be here all the time?"
Ella glances up at him then quickly back down at the cat. "The baby will want its dad around all the time. If my dad was like you, I'd want him here too," Ella states deflecting her opinion onto what her sibling would 'want'. The honesty behind her words hurts Zola. He sometimes forgets how much the little girl has been through in her short 7 years alive. Zola opens his mouth to say something but Ella ends the conversation by saying, "I'm going to go read," then walking away.
"Reebs, can we talk?" Zola requests later that night. Ella's words had been weighing on him all day. Becky nods but doesn't fully look at him. He wraps his arms around the blonde from behind when she doesn't stop cutting the vegetables in front of her.
"What's up?" Becky asks once her attention is forced away from her previous actions. She turns in his arms and leans back against the counter.
"Ella asked me why I didn't live here earlier," Zola informs seriously.
"What did you say?" Becky responds, not really sure where Zola's going with this.
"I didn't get a chance to say anything because Ella said I should live here. She thinks I'm going to be a good dad and because of that I should be around all the time, not like her dad," Zola explains. His eyes convey the pride he feels at making an impact on the girl. He tries not to think of the sadness he also feels for her.
"Oh...we've been talking lately a lot about parents and different kinds of families cause her and the baby won't have the same dad. She told me that she was glad you were the baby's dad and not...," Becky explains. She can't bring herself to say the other man's name. Her face exhibits the guilt she feels from ever putting her child in that situation.
"It's ok. I know who you mean, but Ella does have a point. I think I should be around all the time to help especially once this kiddo is here," Zola says, placing his hands on Becky's growing bump.
"Do you?" Becky asks with a raise of her eyebrow. "So, I'm supposed to let my 7 year old and boyfriend decide that we're all moving in together. Do I get a say in this?"
Zola's unsure if she's teasing or serious. As of late her hormones have left Becky on a wider spectrum of emotions than usual. "No, of course you get a say. Do you want me to move in?" Zola replies hopefully.
"Obviously and to welcomed you into our home Ella and I will let you make dinner," Becky answers with a laugh.
"Oh, really?" Zola asks. Becky's laughter brings about his own. It's one of his favorite sounds in the whole world. After a moment he leans down to capture Becky's lips. Zola can't help but think how lucky he is to be able to have her in his life.
"I was serious though. You're making dinner," Becky informs as they separate. Zola's momentarily surprised by her words. She uses the opportunity to slip out of his arms and off into the living room.
"Really Reebs?!" Zola calls out after her. He shakes his head when she doesn't say anything in reply. If this is the price he must pay to live with his two favorite girls, he'll pay it everytime.
