The next week went by quickly. Daniel helped her get everything unpacked and neatly arranged in the house. She wanted to do Katie's room by herself. She had some personal touches she wanted to add to it. She had prepared a hearty breakfast of ham and eggs to keep him full for the flight home. He put his fork down and wiped his mouth.
"Thanks for breakfast, Michaela, are you sure you don't need me to stay any longer?" Just then, they heard the taxi pull up and honk its horn.
"No, thank you, I will be fine and besides, it sounds like your ride is here," she said, getting up from the table.
"Okay," he went to the stairs to retrieve his suitcase.
Michaela followed him out onto the porch. Just as she was about to hug him goodbye, a fluffy fur ball of a puppy comes dashing through the yard and stops at her feet. The puppy stares up at her with its tongue hanging out. It lets out an excited yip and circles her feet. Daniel and Michaela both try in vain to catch the wriggling puppy. Michaela tries to keep from stumbling over it.
"Please excuse my dog!" she heard a male voice call out. She looked up to see a man from next door come running over to her porch, toting a baby on his hip.
As the man drew closer, Michaela noticed that he was the most handsome man she had ever seen! He had broad, muscular shoulders, deep tanned skin, light brown hair that fell to his shoulders and blue eyes that sparkled mischievously.
"The name's Sully," he mentioned, shifting his baby to his left hip and extending out his hand to Daniel and Michaela. Daniel noticed the way Michaela looked at Sully. He felt an instant pang of jealousy.
"I'm Daniel," he replied, eyeing him coolly, not shaking his hand.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Michaela," she replied, extending her hand. The moment their hands touched, she felt the electricity pass between them. She pulled her hand back as if she was shocked. She looked toward the ground, embarrassed at her sudden movement.
"I hope my puppy didn't scare you."
"Oh, no, not at all. Its adorable." She answered.
'Thanks, Wolf, is quite a handful right now. Come here Wolf," he yelled, snapping his fingers. The puppy partially obeyed but his inquisitive nature got the better of him and he was off again.
Michaela laughed. "I think he's too busy exploring right now!"
"Yes, I think you may be right. He will need some more training for sure." Sully looked up at the old house, admiring it. "I'm glad you guys have moved in, this house has been empty for a long time."
"Oh, it's just me and my soon-to-be daughter," Michaela answered, patting her belly.
Daniel watched Sully and possessively put his arm around Michaela's shoulders, giving him a warning look. She slightly shrank away from his touch. Daniel didn't notice but Sully did.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry," Sully stated, slightly embarrassed.
"No, it's quite okay," Michaela assured him. "Who's this pretty girl you have here?" she asked, changing the subject, not wanting him to feel bad. Sully shifted his daughter to his right hip.
"This is Hannah," he said, turning her around. She reached out a tiny hand toward her. Hannah had the same color hair as her father and the same beautiful blue eyes.
"She is absolutely adorable," Michaela stated, offering her pinky finger so Hannah could grab it. "Oh!" she exclaimed when Hannah grabbed a hold of her finger quickly and tightly.
The sound of a car horn brought all of them back to the present. Michaela looked at Daniel, who had moved his arm from her shoulder and shifted his weight. He had hoped she didn't pick up on what he was trying to do in Sully's presence.
"Daniel, I think that means it's time for you to catch your flight. Thank you for everything you did for me this past week. Call me when you get there," she said, embracing him lightly.
"You are welcome, I am happy to help," he answered, giving her a light kiss on the cheek.
"Nice to meet you Sully," Daniel offered. He was fighting to keep the jealous feeling from being too obvious but he hoped that Sully had gotten the hint. He wanted to give the impression that Michaela was his girlfriend. Daniel got in the taxi and drove off.
Michaela was fighting extremely conflicting feelings. How could she feel such an immense attraction to a complete stranger when she just had just lost her husband? She demurely looked at the ground, hoping her face did not betray her feelings.
"Would you like to sit down for a minute?" she offered, gesturing toward the gliders on the porch.
"Sure, Hannah is getting heavy," he replied, shifting her to his lap.
"How long have you and your wife lived in this neighborhood?"
"Oh, it's just me and Hannah," Michaela could hear the sadness in his voice. She felt bad for asking such a question now.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked you such a question."
"No, it's okay, we've been on our own for a few months now," he replied.
Michaela wanted to know what had happened to his wife but she hardly knew him and it was obvious that it pained him.
Hannah started to excitedly flap her arms up and down while watching the antics of Wolf frolicking on the porch. He had found a bug flying around and was jumping up trying to grab it. He would let out a frustrated bark every time he missed. Hannah let out a loud belly laugh every time he barked.
"You have a lot on your hands with a baby and a puppy," she stated.
"Yes, I sure do. Getting Wolf was my wife's idea."
Once again, she felt like she had said the wrong thing. He could see her facial expressions change and knew that she had to be berating herself for the questions that she asked.
"I don't mind the questions you are asking. I take everything a day at a time," he said in reply to her pained expression. He hope that this would alleviate her guilty feelings.
Michaela was surprised that Sully picked up on her thoughts. She did feel better knowing that she wasn't causing him to relive the sad times.
Sully watched her sit up a bit straighter and rub her belly. She seemed to be lost in thought. He couldn't believe he was sitting so close to her. He had watched her from afar from the day she arrived. His wife, Abigail, had been gone only a few weeks. He still can't believe that he is thinking like this about another woman. He has been so overwhelmed with Hannah and Wolf that his grieving process was sped up for the sake of his day to day routine.
He's tried to convince himself that he's moved on but he still feels pangs of guilt for any emotions he has where he allows himself to smile or enjoy the moment. Like Michaela, they both have a lot of pain in their past but can they move through it to live in the present?
Sully let his mind drift back to Daniel. He gave the impression that Michaela was his girlfriend but she did not appear to feel the same about him. Was she carrying his baby? Michaela appeared to be a very private person, afraid to show her true emotions.
As they sat on the porch in a comfortable silence, both watch Wolf continue to run circles around them chasing various insects. Michaela let out a laugh. Her shiny auburn hair falling from her loose pony tail as she threw her head back. He was enthralled with her. But it was obvious that there was some sort of a relationship between her and Daniel. He wasn't completely over grieving Abigail, no matter how much he tried to push it to the side. He needed to keep his feelings in check. But could he?