All I Ever Wanted

Chapter 10

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.