“Look at how pretty you’ve made this cookie,” I said, checking out Everly’s design. The sprinkles she had added to the middle. The tiny butterflies and flowers, made of fondant that she’d pasted around the rim. “You’ve done such a good job.”

“Thank you.” She squirted more frosting on, adding another pile of sprinkles. “Done!” She held it up to view. “It’s so perfect.”

I pointed at the frosting and asked, “What color is this again?”

She picked a piece of it off the side and put it in . “Turquoise.”

“Nailed it.” I gave her a high five. “For only four years old, you’re so smart.”

“Daddy says I’m his little girl, but I’m really his big girl.”

“You most definitely act like a big girl.”

The purpose of this lesson was for Everly to help measure the ingredients for the cookies, to work on her hand and eye coordination when making each ball the same size, to watch the clock and grasp the concept of patience while we waited for them to bake. And as they were cooking, we worked on the frosting, using food dye to create turquoise and magenta, pumpkin and mint—colors that were beyond the primary shades.

And the whole time, Jiyong had been watching.

He kept his distance, sitting in the next room, his open floor plan giving him a direct view of everything we were doing. The lesson wasn’t what made me nervous or the fact that I had an audience—I’d anticipated him observing every move, deciding whether I’d be a good fit for his daughter.

It was his stare that made my breath hitch.

My body constantly reminded of his presence.

His hands.

His mouth.

His tongue.

The effect he had on me.

But I couldn’t let that show, so I piped out some pumpkin-colored frosting onto one of the cookies and used the gel icing to draw eyes and teeth, a stem across the top. “Can you guess what this is?”

She wiggled in her seat—a sign that she knew the answer. “He-he. A punkin. Like Halloween!”

“Everly, can you say pumpkin instead?” I sounded out the entire word, emphasizing the letters she had missed.

“Punkin. That’s what I said. Puuunkiiin.”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

And I could hear Jiyong do the same.

“How about this one?” This time, I spread mint-colored frosting across a different cookie and used the gel to draw a long trunk, the leaves at the top making a very specific pattern. I added a small sun in the corner and aimed it toward her. “Can you tell what it is?”

“A tree.”

“And what kind of tree?” I broke a turquoise cookie in half and handed her a piece.

“Mmm.”

The second the frosting hit her lips, it stained them.

Which meant it was doing the same to mine.

Oh God.

“These cookies are the bessst.”

I put my arm around her. “I’m glad you like them.” I used my other hand to point toward the tree, repeating my question.

“Like the trees behind our house,” she said, her hand going to her eye, rubbing over her lid in a circle.

I knew she was getting tired.

We were minutes from bedtime.

I continued to hold the cookie up and said, “Is it an elm tree?”

She shrugged.

“How about a weeping willow tree?”

She shook her head. “That’s a silly name.”

“Hmm.” I added a small bee, made of fondant, just underneath the sun and said, “A palm tree?”

“Yes! Silly me. I forgot what they were called.”

“Great job, Everly.” I set the cookie down and collected all the gel icing. “You were so helpful tonight, counting out all the measurements and helping me keep an eye on the timer and decorating these cookies with me. You’ve done the most fantastic job.”

Her blue lips opened wide. “Can I have another cookie?”

“Last one,” I said even though she’d only eaten half of one. “And then it’s time to brush your teeth and get ready for bed.”

Her smile dropped, and she shook her head. “But I’m not tired. I don’t want to go to bed. I want to stay up and hang out with you.”

“I know, honey.” I set my hand on her shoulder. “The cookies taste so delicious, and we don’t want this fun to end, do we? But do you know what will happen if you go to bed?” I handed her the magenta one she had decorated.

“Yummers.” She took a bite, her teeth now covered in pink. “What?”

“It means, tomorrow will be here even sooner, and do you know what happens then?”

Jiyong had discussed Everly’s plans over dinner, so I knew exactly what was in store for her.

“No,” she said with a full mouth, more sprinkles falling onto the counter with each bite.

“Yeji comes, and you two are going hiking, remember?”

Her face lit up. “Hiking!” Tiny bits of cookie sprayed from her lips. “With Yeji!”

I pushed some of the baby hairs off her forehead and tucked them into the top of her ponytail. “So, there’s no reason to dread going to sleep. You’re going to have such a blast with Yeji tomorrow.”

“Can you come hiking too?”

Jiyong entered the kitchen, and the moment he reached us, he stole a cookie from the counter.

“I can’t tomorrow, Everly.” I scooped some of the fallen sprinkles into my hand. “But maybe we can go hiking someday very soon.”

“Daddy, you just ate Dee’s palm tree.”

I laughed. “That’s all right. Your dad is more than welcome to have it.” I looked at Jiyong, smiling. “You can have as many as you’d like.”

“This cookie,” he groaned. “It’s phenomenal.”

I bunched the end of Everly’s ponytail in my hand, the curls springing right back. “Miss Eve is the star. She did all the baking tonight.”

“Daddy, I make the bestest pancakes, but my cookies are ’nomenal.”

He laughed. “Yes, baby, they are.” He scooped her into his arms, holding her while she finished her pink cookie. “You are the best.” He kissed her cheek, not caring that she was covered in frosting and stickiness and glittery sprinkles. “And now, it’s time for this princess chef to go to bed.”

Today wasn’t the first time I’d seen them together, but it was the first time I really studied them. Their smiles so similar, their love for each other so present.

The way he looked at her took my breath away.

But it was the way she looked at him that completely stole my heart.

When her arms wrapped around him, her head leaning against his neck, I saw that she wasn’t just half of him. She trusted him more than anyone in this world.

It was just the two of them.

And their bond wasn’t just apparent; it was beautiful.

“Okaaay, but I’m not happy ’bout it,” she told him, taking the last bite of her cookie. She finished chewing, her eyes getting heavier. “Daddy, Dee’s fun.”

My cheeks blushed as his gaze moved to me.

“She likes you,” he said, his voice a little gritty.

I rubbed her back, the warmth of her body coming through her shirt. “I like her. A lot.”

She the frosting off her finger. “We eat blueberry muffins for breakfast when we hike, and Chef Craig cuts my strawberries into little hearts. Can we make muffins and hearts sometime?”

“I would like that, Everly.”

“Can you give Miss Dee a hug and thank her for the good time you guys had tonight?”

She released his neck and held her arms out to me, letting me take her from her father. The moment she was in my grasp, she clung to me. A hug that wasn’t forced. That wasn’t weak. That came from a girl who knew how to love.

“Thank you, Dee. I had the bestest time.”

“Me too, honey.”

She didn’t release me. She squeezed even harder and said, “I can’t wait t