It was the weekend and Tom and Diana had the day off. So what better to do then hang out with Maia at Diana's place?
"Mommy?" Maia said, tugging on Diana's shirt. Diana put her attention from Tom, who was sitting across the table from her, to Maia.
"Yes, Maia?" Diana asked. "What is it?"
"Do I have a dad?" Maia asked, smiling. She looked at Tom, then to Diana. Diana sighed.
"No, honey. You don't have a dad. Sorry," Diana said, not knowing how to tell Maia that. She looked at Tom and shrugged.
"Will Tom be my daddy?" Maia asked sweetly, grinning widely. The question took both Diana and Tom off guard. Tom chuckled. Diana stared at Maia, speechless. "Mommy?" Maia waved a hand in front of Diana's face. She giggled. "Hello?"
"Umm…," Diana started. She looked at Tom, then back to Maia.
"Sure, why not?" Tom said, still chuckling. Diana looked over at him, confused, then got what he was trying to say. Diana smiled at Maia.
"Sure, if you want him to be," she told her.
"Do you want him to be?" Maia asked, her face growing serious, but still smiling.
"Yeah, do you?" Tom asked, grinning. Diana was stuck in a pickle. Say yes, she told herself, just say 'Yes'. They're just joking, after all… Right? "So… what is it?" Tom's question broke her out of her thoughts.
"I'd love too," Diana finally said, kissing Maia on the cheek. Maia grinned up at Diana; a wide and big smile. "What?" Diana asked suspiciously.
"So, what? You're going to get married?" Maia asked, giggling. "And don't kiss me, Mommy. Kiss Tom." Maia laughed out loud, satisfied with herself. She thought this was probably the best weekend ever. She pulled on Diana's shirt again. "C'mon, Mommy!" She caught the expressions on Tom and Diana's faces. Maia felt confused. "What?"
"Um…," Diana said.
"Please?" Maia begged, putting her hands together. She gave Diana her best puppy dog eyes. "Please?" But before Diana could say anything, she felt Tom's lips on hers. At first she didn't react, then she gave into it. It was a slow, passionate kiss, and both of them ignored Maia's constant giggling. When Tom broke the kiss, he sat back down on his chair, moving one of his fingers in circles on the table nervously.
"I'm gonna go to the bathroom. I'll be right back!" Maia said, leaving Diana and Tom alone. They both watched as Maia fled. They both had the urge to stop her and pull her back and start another conversation, but they didn't. After what seemed like hours, Diana decided to say something.
"That wasn't part of 'playing along', was it?" she asked Tom, barely smiling. Tom looked up at her an smiled.
"Nah," he replied. Maia came running back into the kitchen.
"Did I miss anything?" she asked eagerly. Diana and Tom both laughed out loud, relieved. "Did I?"
"No, you didn't," Tom said, grinning. He looked at Maia, then to Diana. "So…"
"What to talk about now?" Maia said, specifically to no one. Tom looked at his watch, then stood up from his chair slowly.
"Uhh… maybe I should get going. It's almost-" Tom started.
"No," Diana said, interrupting Tom. "Please… stay." Tom hesitated for a moment, then smiled.
"Okay, I'll stay, I guess," he said, giving in. He winked at Diana.
"I saw that," Maia said, smiling. She rolled her eyes playfully. "Hey! Can we watch a movie?"
"Sure," Diana said, shrugging. They walked over to the living room, and they all sat down on the couch. Diana was sitting next to Tom closely, while Maia was sitting on the other side of them, her legs resting on the couch. "What are we going to watch?"
"Oh, yeah," Maia said, standing up. She picked something up from the table, and held it up for Tom and Diana to see.
"What movie is it?" Tom asked.
"Um…," Maia said, looking at the title. She shrugged. "Some chick flick." Tom and Diana grinned. Maia put the DVD into the DVD player and they all sat in silence as it started to play. After at least five minutes into the movie, Tom put his arm around Diana's shoulders, as she rested her head on his shoulder. She closed her eyes and rested, wanting time to stand still forever, just like that.
"Mommy?" Maia said, nudging Diana in the shoulder. She looked at Tom. "Was the movie that boring?" she asked him. Tom shrugged.
"I guess she was just tired," he said. She smiled at Maia.
"Why don't you go on and sleep?" he said quietly, not wanting to wake Diana. He looked at the clock. "It's late." Maia nodded, not saying another word. She ran into her room, and Tom waited for the noise of her door slamming. He looked at Diana and smiled. He thought that she looked so peaceful when she was asleep.
"C'mon, I'll get you to your room," Tom said aloud, to no one. He stood up gently, slowly taking his arm out from under Diana. He picked her up, with one hand under her knees and the other right below her neck. Tom entered Diana's room and slowly placed her on her bed. He fixed the blankets and pillows. Not knowing what to do, he sat on the edge of the bed. Well, it wouldn't exactly kill me to stay her and get some rest, Tom thought. He shrugged, then took off his jacket, placing it on a chair next to the bed. He unbuttoned the top three buttons on his shirt, which were pretty much choking him. He slid into bed next to Diana, trying to not wake her up. He soon drifted off to sleep.
Diana's eyes slowly opened. She looked around. How'd I get here? she asked herself. She looked next to her, and gasped. She stared at Tom, who, most likely, brought her in her room. She smiled. Tom awoke at the rustle of the bed. He slowly turned around to find Diana smiling at him. He smiled back.
"Morning," she greeted. They both sat upright. Tom kissed Diana, and she gave in.
"Morning," Tom said, smiling, when they pulled apart. "Sleep well?" Diana nodded.
"Yeah… and thanks for, you know, bringing me in here."
Tom smiled. "No problem." He looked at his watch. "We're not going to work for a couple of hours… What now?" Diana shrugged. Tom stood up, and for the first time, Diana saw him in an un-tucked shirt that had the collar loosely hanging around his neck.
"What?" Tom asked, smiling.
"Nothing," Diana replied. "I've just never seen you wear your shirt like that." She pointed at his clothing. He laughed.
"Yeah, well, neither have I." There was an awkward silence. "Wanna go out?" Diana looked up at Tom and smiled. She climbed out of bed.
"I'd love too," she replied. They both heard Maia call for Diana. Confused, they both quickly rushed out of the room. "What is it?" they asked at the same time.
"I just saw you two going out somewhere…," Maia said. "What am I going to do?"
"…Want to come?" Diana offered. "We can bring you to the park afterwards." Maia's face brightened up.
"Yeah!" she said, "I'll go get ready!" She disappeared into her room. Diana looked over at Tom.
"It's okay with Maia going, right?" she asked.
"Of course," Tom said, smiling warmly. "And what's better than a romantic walk in the park with the person you love?"