After nearly twenty minutes in the bathroom, Marissa collected emotions she couldn't even identify and headed back toward the people who were probably wondering what the hell had happened to her. She could hear Summer and Kirsten discussing floral samples in what she could only assume was an office. A quick peek into the screening room told her that Sandy and Seth were playing some ninja video game. The only person she couldn't seem to find was Ryan.

"Alright," she heard his voice in the living room and stopped behind one of the large pillars there to watch him lift Jada onto a ottoman and take the bottle of transluscent nail polish out of her hand. "Fingers or toes?" he asked.

Jada bit her lip and put her finger to her chin for a moment. Marissa wished that she was in the kitchen, where she would have had a better look at Ryan's face, but if she knew him at all, he was grinning like a fool at his daughter's ponderous posture. "How 'bout both?" she answered finally.

Ryan glanced at his watch and then began to shake the polish bottle. "How about one tonight and one in the morning?"

Jada's bottom lip came out and she crossed her arms. "Dad!" she protested.

Marissa leaned her full weight against the pillar, being careful to stay out of Jada's eye line. She wanted to watch them together, to feel what a real parent-child bond should be, to experience it without interfering. And she was afraid that she might burst into tears at any moment, the way that he handled his daughter so gently, so honestly, so lovingly.

"Oh, so now you're gonna be Whiney Miss?" He screwed the lid back onto the polish and moved to sit on the couch. "Maybe we'll just do none. How's that?"

Jada laughed and uncrossed her arms. "You're so silly, Daddy." Ryan slid off the couch and onto his knees again. "Just the fingers."

Ryan withdrew the brush from the bottle and held Jada's tiny hand in his own. It wasn't as if he had a lot of experience with manicures or anything, but he had learned early on that if he was going to let Summer and Kirsten baby sit his daughter, she was going to "girlie." And, if he was honest, he wanted her to be. He didn't want her to grow up a tomboy, like so many girls who were raised by their fathers. He wanted her to have maternal influences in her life, and until he found someone to fill that role full time, he had to learn some of the basics.

"Dad?" Jada's voice broke his thoughts as he finished the third finger.

"What's up?" he asked, moving on to the next finger, watching the light polish graze her miniscule nail.

Jada's free hand reached out and stroked her dad's face, the way she always did when she was being serious. "Marissa's really pretty," she said.

Behind the pillar, Marissa blinked back tears. "Yeah, she is," Ryan answered, his voice sincere. She was wiping the ones she couldn't blink back.

"She's nice, too," Jada went on, her eyes wandering over her father's expression for some sign of agreement. "And she smells like Uncle Trey's house."

"Like cigarettes and dirty dishes?" Ryan asked, releasing her left hand and grasping her right while pitching a smile her direction.

Jada rolled her eyes. "Like the flowers in the backyard? On that tree? You know – the really pretty purple ones that we brought home last time?"

"Lilacs," Ryan reminded. She repeated it. "She does, you're right." Jada started to reach for his shoulder again. "Wet nails. You gotta wait," he chided.

She put her hand back in her lap and waited patiently while her dad finished the hand he was working on. A small tune was making it's way past her lips as she hummed to herself and watched Ryan carefully finish her fingernails. When he was done, he took both of her hands in his own and raised them to his lips, blowing gently on the drying polish. "Thanks, Daddy," she giggled.

Ryan winked and released her hands. "No touching. And you better go find Kirsten and thank her, too," he ordered.

Marissa watched as Jada climbed off the ottoman with her hands at her sides and then stood beside her father. "Up please," she said with determination. Ryan lifted the girl into his arms and cradled her in his lap. "I think you should ask her on a date," Jada finally spoke.

He laughed and shook his head. "Look at you. What are you? My little matchmaker now? Summer's never baby-sitting you again." But his voice was filled with no real irritation, just amusement as he kissed the top of her head and hugged her close to his body again.

"I'm being serious," Jada insisted, her voice muffled by the fabric of Ryan's tee shirt.

He sighed and Marissa realized she was holding her breath to see what he would say. "I know you are," he conceded. "But why would I wanna spend all my time with another woman? I mean, then I can't spend it with you, Baby," he tried to reason.

But Jada didn't want to hear reason as she climbed out of her father's lap and sat on the arm of the couch, defying him with her gaze to make her get down. "But daddy's can't marry their little girls," she said. "And I don't get a mommy if you don't get married."

Ryan nearly choked on his breath when she shrugged her shoulders as though it were completely obvious. "Hey," he gasped. "How did we go from a date to marriage?"

Screwing up all of her courage, Marissa decided to save him from further painful questions as she stepped around the pillar and moved toward the kitchen, as though she had been headed straight there all along. She stopped beside the couch and tried to throw a distracted look their way. "Oh, hey, you two."

Ryan smiled knowingly, but said nothing. Embarrassment kept his words in his throat, unsure of just how much she had heard. Fortunately, he didn't have time to blush. "Ryan," Sandy entered the living room. "Summer wants us to put the armoire together in the guest room, and Seth's not really feeling like helping," he explained.

Jada laughed and shook her little head. "Duh."

Ryan kissed her forehead and then looked at Marissa. "Hey, do you think you could do me a favor?"

She nodded and waved him off. "I'd love to," she assured as Ryan ran off after Sandy toward the guest room. Sinking to the couch where Jada was staring at her intently, she took a deep breath and prayed that the child wouldn't ask her anything too hard to answer. "So, Jada, what's on the agenda for tonight?"

Jada shrugged. "I don't know what that means," she said.

Marissa let herself laugh. The kid had her mother's honesty – that was refreshing, and also incredibly off-setting. "What do you want to do?" she rephrased.

Jumping off the couch, Jada reached for Marissa's hand and pulled. "Will you read me a story?" she asked. Marissa nodded. "They're in my playroom."

She had never really cared for kids – she didn't dislike them, she just hadn't been around a lot of them very much. But if this one was important to Ryan, then she would get to know her and love her just like everyone else in this family. And when Jada sank to the floor beside a large bookshelf and daintly started to select a story, Marissa had a feeling it wasn't going to be hard to love her.

XXXXX

When Marissa finished the bookand set it gently at her side, she caught a whiff of Jada's sweet, innocent smell and leaned her head against the wall. She could get used to this mixture of emotions that holding a beautiful little girl evoked. She felt, for the first time in years, like she was the strong one, like Jada needed her for protection. And she felt like there was nothing she wouldn't do to make sure this kid stayed safe. It was strange, because she barely knew Jada, but something inside of her wanted to watch the girl grow and learn and be astounded and amazed by everything around her. She wanted to spend more nights reading until she could hear Jada's soft snoring against her leg. She wanted to be a part of this.

"Marissa?" Jada's vulnerable voice was heavy with slumber.

"Yeah?" she whispered, her hand running over Jada's warm back.

"Are you sick?" she asked.

"What?"

Jada rolled onto her back and stared up at the woman beside her. "My daddy said you were in the hospital before."

That was the best Ryan could come up with? The hospital? Why would he tell a kid something like that? But she smiled as the truth hit – that's why Ryan was such a good dad. Because he was honest. He wasn't going to tell Jada anything that would scare or disturb her, but he wasn't going to hold the truth back, either.

Marissa cleared her throat. "Um, I was. I was in a hospital for grown ups," she tried to explain.

There was a fear in her eyes when Jada responded, "But you're okay now, right?" Marissa nodded. "Good," Jada said, her eyes drifting shut once more. "Can you tell my dad that? Because he worries your gonna die like my mommy did."

Her heart sank. Ryan still worried about her? "I will be sure to tell him that I'm gonna be fine," she smiled, letting her eyes close slowly as Jada's breathing evened out.

When Ryan finished helping Sandy, he set off in search of his daughter. It was later than he usually liked to get her home in the middle of the week, but he knew that taking her home would only result in another hour of questions about Marissa and when they were going to get married like Seth and Summer.

The soft glow from the playroom illuminated their location, and Ryan rested in the doorframe to watch the to figures in the back corner. Jada was sprawled across the floor pillows, her head resting in Marissa's lap. Marissa leaned against the wall, a protective arm across Jada's little body and her own head resting on her shoulder. He wished for a camera for a moment – he wasn't sure he'd ever seen anything so beautiful in his life.

This is right, a small voice sounded in the back of Ryan's head. He tried to ignore it, but it didn't stop. It hasn't been right for a long time, like this. Shaking his head, he ran a hand through his hair. That wasn't a thought he needed to be having. You know this is what you've been waiting for – this feeling right here. He shifted his weight. Everything in mind said that it was a bad idea, that inviting Marissa into their lives was only going to bring heartache for him and his daughter.

But his heart told him that there had never been anyone else that belonged here. My girls, he thought as he pushed out of the doorframe and made his way toward them. He stooped and touched Marissa's knee. "Hey," he whispered.

She stirred and then her eyes focused on his face. A small smile crept over her lips. "Hey," she answered, looking over at Jada. "I guess we've both had a long day," she chuckled in a whisper.

"Sandy and Kirsten left. Seth and Summer went to bed." Ryan gave her a reassuring grin and then lifted Jada into his arms. "I should get her home."

After another moment of trying to gather her balance, Marissa braced her arm against the wall and stood, following him toward the door. "Do you need help with anything?" she asked.

Ryan shook his head and stepped out into the light of the hall. "I don't think so. She's comin' back here in the morning, so whatever she left will be fine." He looked at the stairs and stepped down toward the ground level. "Thanks for watching her," he said over his shoulder.

Marissa shook her head and wiped the sleep out of her eyes. "She's great," she said.

They walked toward the kitchen and he stopped by the garage door. "Um, so I was wondering," he spoke before he could tell himself not to. "Seth and I were supposed to go to this concert tomorrow night, but now he has to work," he stopped and watched her face build with anticipation. She wanted this, right? She wasn't going to shoot him down? What the hell, the voice whispered in his head. "Do you wanna get some dinner? Maybe catch a movie or something? Just you and me?"

Marissa felt like her heart had taken flight in her chest as she nodded, trying not to look like a dork. "I'd like that," she said.

Ryan smiled in return, felt like he couldn't do anything else. "Great. Um, I have to work until five, so how does six sound?"

Nodding, Marissa leaned against the counter. "Perfect," she answered. He turned the door handle and pushed it out when she muttered, "I can't wait."

Ryan stepped through the threshold and then turned back and offered her another foolish grin. "Me neither," he answered, pulling the door shut behind him.

Marissa rested against the counter. She had a date with Ryan Atwood – a real date. It was an excitement she hadn't felt since high school – since their last date. Maybe they wouldn't get married – maybe they wouldn't ever be a happy family or anything. But they were going to be something, that much she could feel.