Alex is taking his daughter to Disney on ice, and he is the one acting like a child. Perhaps knowing that Norma is coming along is what is causing his hands to sweat and his heart to beat like never before. He had soared those stairs a hundred times but somehow today feels like the first time.

As he steps into the front porch, he clears his throat before knocking cautiously on the wooden door. While he waits for Amanda to greet him, the way she always does, he takes a second to scrutinize himself. He felt like he was maybe a little bit too overdressed. After almost an hour of overthinking and explicitly deciding what jean looked good with what shirt, he settled on dark wash jeans and a buttoned-up white shirt.

Glimpses of gray hairs were starting to show, but he didn't care. Alex had rolled up his sleeves, showing off his well-toned forearms. He held a bouquet of lilies and a much smaller one of daisies. His heart strenuously pounded as he heard commotion on the other side of the door.

"Daddy!" Amanda squeals when she sees him as soon as her mom opens the door, standing fully in front of him. "Look at my dress!"

"Excuse me?" Alex kneels down in front of his daughter, eyeing her up and down. "Where is my daughter, princess? What have you done with Amanda?"

Amanda smiles broadly. "I am Amanda!"

Alex squints his eyes. "Are you sure? You look like Cinderella to me."

"Mommy picked it out," Amanda offers. "I can also turn into Aurora if you'd like."

Alex smirks grandly at the cute way she pronounces Aurora. "I think I like Cinderella just fine."

"I do too!"

"You look beautiful, munchkin."

Amanda had her hair up just like Cinderella on her night out with the prince. He's watched that movie innumerable of times with his daughter, having to memorize the name of all the princesses so that he wouldn't be as clueless when his daughter brings them up—he had to know by now their names and the dresses they wear.

Alex notices glitter all over her hair, her bangs ending precisely just above her eyebrows. Her sparkly blue dress, the same color as her eyes, was long and he could scarcely see her tiny feet. His daughter looked gorgeous, and he was more than proud.

"These are for you," Alex announces, handing his beloved princess the bouquet of daisies—her favorites.

Amanda gasps immediately, finally noticing what her father had been holding onto all along. "Daisies!"

"You like them?" Amanda carefully takes the bouquet out of her father's hand, clutching them tightly.

"I love them, daddy! They're so pretty!" her tone bright and abundant.

"I'm glad you like them," Alex grins cheerfully. "But they're not as pretty as you."

"Thank you," Amanda lunges forward, wrapping her right arm around his neck, keeping securely with the other one her gorgeous flowers.

"You're welcome," Alex settles a kiss on her head, keeping his daughter ensured in his arms.

"I'm taking them to my room," she says, letting go and looking into her dad's big caramel eyes.

"Okay, princess."

"Don't go anywhere," she demands, whirling around to face her mother who, just like any other time, rested naturally against the opened door. "Look at my flowers, mommy!"

Alex raises his glare ultimately, probing Norma from head to toe. From that angle, and any other aspect to be precise, she looked remarkable. He keeps his eyes on her, observing as she beams down at their daughter, smelling the flowers as Amanda elevated them to her so she could do so.

Norma was glowing.

Alex fails to notice that Amanda had vanished somewhere inside the house when Norma moves her eyes back to him. He is still on one knee, looking up at her like a lost puppy.

Norma bit her lip apprehensively, fidgeting with her fingers tensely, not failing to notice the way he was gazing up at her. A clear of her throat was all it took to get Alex off the floor.

"Um..." he looks down on the bouquet of lilies that he was still holding. "And these are for you."

Norma's eyes are fixed on his, disregarding for a second the elegant flowers that, other than the sweet lupines, were her favorite. She licks her lips unknowingly and falters for a second. When she perceives that she's taken too long to seize them, she stretches her arm, moving closer to him, taking the flowers from his hands.

"You didn't have to," she murmurs, gazing fondly at them. When she dares to move her eyes and plant them back on Alex, her heart skips at the way he's looking at her.

"You, uh," he struggles to find the correct words, not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable. Norma sees as his eyes scan her up and down; Alex was undressing her with his eyes. "You look beautiful."

Norma takes a deep breath, smiling kindly at him. "Thank you. You-You look nice."

Norma's hair wasn't as short as it used to be four years ago, and it was lightly waved. She was wearing a fit and flare dress, navy blue, with an off the shoulder look. The dress revealed her perfect curves, closing at her waist ever so lightly—the flare material extending down to her knees.

Unable to react the way he wanted to, he started hating himself for not being able to hide his infatuation towards her.

"Thanks," he says shyly after a while.

Norma smiles, her eyes drifting back to study her beautiful flowers. "These are gorgeous, Alex."

"I knew you'd like them," he feels proud of commemorating something so diminutive but with such importance. Details that, a long time ago, were declared in the middle of the night after their passionate lovemaking.

"Thank you," she smirks gleefully. The eyes that stared back at Alex were bluer than ever.

"No, thank you for coming with us," Alex sticks his hand into his front pockets, something he always does when he's nervous. "I'm sure Amanda's going to have a good time."

Norma chuckles. "You're telling me. She's been ready since three o'clock. She hasn't gotten out of that dress, and I'm pretty sure she'll want to sleep in it, too."

"Oh, bet money she's sleeping in it tonight."

They share a genuine laugh.

"Thank you for inviting me," she says after their laughter had diminished. Her fingers play slackly with her delicate golden necklace that displays Amanda's name on it.

Swiftly his mouth goes dry. "Happy to have you. Really."

"Mommy!" Amanda calls from the top of the stairs, unintendedly disrupting her parents. "Where is my Cinderella headband?"

Norma peers back inside but doesn't move a muscle. Her body reasonably close to Alex's.

"Last time I saw it, it was on the kitchen table, honey."

"It's not there!" the tone of her voice displayed sadness and frustration. "I've already checked. Twice!"

Norma looks back at Alex, finding him already staring back at her, giving him a side smile before shifting her back to him and making her way inside. Alex followed her, setting foot into the corridor.

"Are you finally going to let me borrow your Aurora dress if I find the headband on the kitchen table?" Norma proposes with a high pitched voice. Alex sensed that it wasn't the first time that his daughter couldn't find something that her mom undoubtedly could.

"No, mommy!" Amanda declares nearly offended. "My dress doesn't fit you. Even if you try it on, you might rip it and then I will have to—"

"To what, young lady?" Norma twirls the headband with her index finger, standing next to Alex, looking up at her daughter from the bottom of the stairs.

"It wasn't there!" Amanda blurts, grabbing onto the handlebar as she makes her way down the stairs. "You always do this!"

Amanda grins gleefully, reaching her mom and hugging her knees. Norma dips down, kissing Amanda's head.

"Mommy always knows where to find missing things," she mumbles against her, leaning back a bit to place her baby blue headband on her tiny head. "I've told you that a million times."

"How come daddy can't?" Amanda asks as her mom adjusts the headband.

Alex lets out a deep chuckle. "Who says I can't?"

"Sometimes you're looking for your phone while holding the phone with your other hand, daddy."

Norma laughs at her remark because it is entirely adequate.

"I don't do that!" he defends himself, a charming grin wanting to make an appearance.

"Yes, you do!" Amanda laughs. "All the time!"

"That is nonsense!" he replies mildly insulted; he leans forward, nipping Amanda's cheek. "I don't do such thing."

"He does!" Amanda looks up at Norma. "Right, mom?"

Norma is trying her best to keep her grin off her face. Alex looks up at her, staring at her perfect profile; Norma failing to meet his eyes. Alex knew that she was trying to suppress her laughter as best as she possibly could.

Alex snorts. "That is not fair!"

Norma finally looks up at him and laughs, Alex, joining her in an instant.

"You do!" Norma manages to say among giggles.

"See!" Amanda chants gracefully. "Mommy knows too!"

"All right," Alex smirks wonderfully. "I hope you two know that this is called bullying."

"What's bullying?" Amanda asks innocently.

"Something that your mom will explain to you in the car because we're running late," Alex says and steps around Norma and Amanda with ease. "Are you guys ready?" he smiles lightly.

"Yes," Norma responds politely, taking her purse and her high-end camera, one of the few modern pieces that she owned thanks to Dylan, from the table across the hall. "Honey, where is your coat?"

Amanda halts and peers back at her cluelessly, "I don't know, mommy."

"I'll find it," Norma states, discerning Alex standing by the front door, wordlessly urging them on. "Go with your dad. I'll find your coat and lock up."

"Okay," Amanda obeys and walks straight to Alex, noticing him offering her his hand. "Would you carry me? I don't want to ruin my dress."

Alex smirks incredulously. His daughter is such a character sometimes. "Of course, munchkin. You look way too beautiful tonight to walk anyway."

"Thank you," Amanda grins excitedly as her dad picks her up.

Alex makes his way down the stairs with his daughter clutched tightly to his chest. Her chin pressed ever so lightly on his shoulder.

"Are you excited to meet Cinderella?" Alex presses his lips to the side of her neck. "I'm sure they can't wait to meet you."

Amanda snickers. "I can't wait!"

When they reach Alex's SUV, he fishes for his keys and unlocks the car door efficiently with his daughter still in his arms.

"Watch your head," Alex directs, setting Amanda inside the car, guarding as she assembles herself on her booster seat.

"This dress is too big," Alex tells her. "You're going to have to take it off for the ride. I can't even put your seatbelt on."

"He's joking," Norma speaks from behind him, opening the passenger's door, not missing the look of horror on Amanda's face. Alex looks back at her and smiles.

"Not entirely," he says.

Alex grins and plants a big kiss on her forehead after settling her securely on her booster seat. When he walks around and gets on the driver's side, he is greeted by Norma's sweet fragrance; the one that still drives him over the edge.

He sees Norma looking down at her hands nervously. She senses his eyes on her and looks up.

"Ready?" he asks as he turns on the ignition.

Norma tips forward and swings around, peering back at Amanda, whose full attention was solely on her stuffed unicorn, Lucille, named after one of her best friends from school. Norma discovered Lucille adjacent to Amanda's coat and decided to bring her along.

"We're ready," Norma whispers, resting her body back on her seat, her eyes glued to his. "Are you?"

Alex chuckles lightly, and Norma smiles. "You have no idea."