19. Bennett

For our first full night as roommates—or rather, a family cosplaying as roommates for the sake of the child who had no idea I was her father—Ella had insisted that we have a movie night. Popcorn was popped in batches so one could be loaded down with butter and salt, the other tossed with chocolate chips that would melt to gooey perfection as we all munched. Carly and I had beers in long-necked glass bottles she'd popped the tops for with the high-heel bottle opener her mom had left when she moved out. With a collection of cozy blankets, pillows, and a couple of Ella's stuffed animals to "keep us company" on the couch, we were all set to watch some animated dinosaur flick Ella was positively feral about.

Ever since that moment on moving day when I'd watched both of my brothers casually kiss Carly like she was theirs, I'd been ignoring what I thought and felt about her. I was here for Ella, and thinking of my daughter was a hell of a lot easier and less confusing than trying to suss out what Carly was up to, how I felt about the fact that both of my brothers were clearly as obsessed with her as I was. Tonight was a perfect way to shove every thought of Carly and her sexy body and the possibilities of it out of my mind. It was time to watch some cartoon dinosaurs.

Carly dimmed the lights in the living room for a final touch, and then the glow from the TV illuminated our makeshift theater. Ella was nestled between us, her small frame warm against mine as we settled in for the movie. She was practically vibrating with excitement, her eyes wide and eager as the opening credits rolled.

"This is gonna be so cool!" she exclaimed, bouncing in her seat a little.

I couldn't help but laugh at her enthusiasm, my heart swelling with affection for this bright, spirited little girl. I couldn't believe she was mine. "I'm sure it will be. Are you okay with talking during the movie, Ella? That feels like an important thing to establish right now."

"Definitely," she answered seriously. "Mama always asks questions, even though if she just watches, the movie will tell her the answer."

Carly laughed. "Hey! Don't spill all of my annoying habits to our new roomie, Ella. The betrayal."

Ella smiled sheepishly.

"Hey, that's okay," I reassured them both. "My dad does that all the time, too. I'm used to it. I might even call it charming."

Carly shot me a grateful smile before turning her attention back to the screen. There was a comfortable ease between us, a sense of familiarity that, if I let myself get a little dreamy and romantic in my head, made it feel like we'd been doing this for years. It was strange, but in the best possible way.

As the movie progressed, Ella's laughter filled the room, punctuated by excited gasps and whispered commentary, all perfectly timed within the plot of this surprisingly entertaining children's film. She was completely engrossed in the story, her eyes wide with wonder as the animated dinosaurs roared to life on the screen.

Carly and I exchanged amused glances, silently reveling in the joy radiating from our little movie companion. Our daughter. It was so surreal to even think those words, but the more time I spent with Ella and Carly both, the more I could see the interesting blend of Carly's and my genetics. Ella was a unique creature all her own, but in addition to my eyes and my mind for science, she had her mother's wide, bright smile and a layer of sass that was distinctly from her matriarchal line. Her sweetness, I liked to think, came from both of us.

The dinosaur movie, surprisingly, was a bit of a heart-wrencher. When the movie was rounding the corner to the climax, a somber scene played out on screen, and I felt Ella's energy shift beside me. She grew quiet, her bottom lip trembling slightly as tears welled up in her eyes. The first sound of a sniffle broke the seal, and then she was fully sobbing.

"Oh, no, baby," Carly murmured, wrapping her arm around Ella's shoulders. "It's okay. It's just a movie."

But Ella shook her head, her voice small and choked with emotion. "But it's sad, Mama. The dinosaur lost his mom. I don't want to lose you ever."

I felt a pang of sympathy for her, wishing there were something I could do to ease her distress. "Hey, it's okay to feel sad sometimes," I said gently, reaching out to brush a stray tear from her cheek. She didn't shy away from my touch, which was a good sign. I wasn't settled into this fatherly role yet, and I wouldn't ever be quite secure in it until Ella knew that's who I was, but I'd take any small, parental win I could get. "That is sad. I lost my mom and dad years ago, and it was really sad."

"Really?" Her small voice cracked, and she and Carly both were watching me closely now.

I nodded. "Really. And even though I miss them a lot and I wish they were still around, I'm still here and doing fine. The dinosaur will be okay, too. And you know what? The best part about sad moments in movies is that they pretty much always get better. That's how stories usually go, right? And you've got me and your mama here to make sure of it."

Carly shot me a grateful smile, her eyes shining with unspoken appreciation, some twinge of sympathy for my sad story, too. Together, we wrapped Ella in a comforting embrace, our arms forming a protective cocoon around her.

"Doctor Ben is right," Carly said softly, pressing a kiss to Ella's forehead. "We'll get through this together, okay?"

Ella nodded, her tears beginning to dry as she snuggled closer to us. "Okay."

And just like that, the melancholy was lifted, replaced by a sense of warmth and closeness that seemed to envelop us all. As the movie continued to play in the background, we sat together, content in each other's company. Carly mouthed a quiet thank you over Ella's head as the credits rolled.

As Ella snuggled between Carly and me, her tear-streaked face slowly relaxing into a peaceful expression, I couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion welling up inside me, something like hope mixed with the pure joy of a dream fulfilled. It was a strange sensation, this overwhelming sense of pride and warmth that seemed to wash over me like a gentle wave. Watching Carly comfort Ella, seeing the way they leaned on each other for support, I felt a sense of awe at the bond they shared. It was a bond that I was slowly becoming a part of, one that felt both foreign and strangely familiar at the same time.

In that moment, as we sat together on the couch, enveloped in the soft glow of the TV and the comforting embrace of family, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was exactly where I was meant to be. It was a feeling I hadn't experienced in a long time, not since my own family was torn apart by tragedy.

I had always dreamed of having that perfect, sitcom-worthy nuclear family of my own, a loving wife and children to come home to at the end of the day. But after losing my parents the way I had, that dream had dulled in my vision. Lately, it seemed like nothing more than a distant fantasy—especially with the looming presence of Logan and Nate complicating the picture. Yet here I was, sitting with Carly and Ella, feeling more like a father than I ever thought possible. It was a strange and wonderful feeling, one that filled me with a sense of wonder. I was so grateful to be here, to have reunited with Carly after all these years of wondering where the beautiful aspiring photographer I'd met in college had ended up. To witness the person our daughter was growing into in front of my eyes.

Ella was fading fast, though. Even though she insisted we should play games now, or watch the sequel to the dinosaur movie, or have a fashion show, her sensible mama put her foot down.

"It's time for bed, baby girl," Carly said gently.

Ella pouted, her eyes still red-rimmed from her earlier tears. "But Mama, I"m not even tired. Can"t we stay up a little longer?"

Carly brushed a hand over Ella"s hair, her expression softening with affection. "I know you've had fun tonight. But it"s already past your bedtime. You need your sleep so you can grow big and strong, just like the dinosaurs."

Ella let out a dramatic sigh, her shoulders slumping in defeat. "Fine," she relented, though the disappointment lingered in her voice.

I watched the exchange with a mixture of amusement and fondness. It was clear that Ella had inherited Carly"s strong will and determination, traits that only seemed to amplify in the face of bedtime.

Carly turned to me, her gaze warm and inviting. "Bennett, would you like to help me tuck Ella in tonight?"

The request caught me off guard, but a wave of warmth flooded my chest at the thought of being included in such an intimate moment. "Of course," I replied, unable to hide the smile that tugged at the corners of my lips. "I"d be happy to help. If Ella wants that, I mean."

Ella"s eyes lit up at the idea of having both Carly and me see her off to bed. "Yay! Thanks, Doctor Ben!"

Together, we went through Ella"s bedtime routine, brushing her teeth and fetching her a glass of water from the kitchen. Then, with Carly leading the way, we followed Ella down the hall to her bedroom, the soft glow of her ladybug night light guiding our path. Her room was cozy and inviting, filled with stuffed animals and colorful drawings of insects of every shape, size, and color adorning the walls. Perfectly Ella. Perfectly devastating for my little wimpy heart. God, if my brothers could hear the inside of my head this evening, I'd never live it down. But it was hard to care too much.

Ella chattered away about her day the whole time, even through her body's attempts to send her off to dreamland. Yawns broke through her faithful recounting of every detail of the movie. She asked a million questions about dinosaurs and prehistoric times, which I tried to answer whenever Carly looked at a loss. Plenty of them were above my head, too.

"Maybe you've got a budding paleontologist, after all," I murmured. "Is that better or worse than an entomologist, do you think?"

Carly laughed, rolling her eyes.

"Not a chance. She's been into bugs since she was two. I'd bet any amount of money that she's over this in a week."

My heart twinged at the thought that I hadn't been able to meet Ella at that age, that I hadn't witnessed the start of her bug obsession or so many other things that made her who she was. But we'd been having such a beautiful evening. I shoved those gloomy thoughts away and focused on the beauty of now.

As I tucked Ella into bed and pulled the covers up to her chin, Carly took a step back, metaphorically and physically. She left me sitting at the edge of Ella's bed and decided to watch from the doorway instead in a kind attempt to give me this moment. Now I had to mouth a silent thank you to her, and she waved it off. I turned back to Ella, who yawned sleepily, her eyelids drooping with exhaustion. Still, she had some fight left in her, and she asked, "Can I have a story, Doctor Ben?"

"I'm… not sure I know any," I admitted, feeling my pulse pick up with the pressure of this request.

"Give it your best shot," Carly encouraged me. "Just make it up. Ella's a tough critic, but she'll be nice, since you're new to this. Right, Ella?"

"Right," the girl echoed.

Alright. Here goes nothing, I thought.

I cleared my throat, gathering my thoughts as I prepared to spin a tale fit for a princess. "Once upon a time, in a faraway kingdom, there lived a beautiful queen named… Carla."

Ella"s eyes widened with excitement at the mention of her mother"s name, a delighted giggle escaping her lips. "Hey, that"s like Mama"s name!"

I nodded with a smile. "Our queen was the kindest and most compassionate ruler the kingdom had ever known. She was loved by all who knew her, and her heart was as big as the sky."

I glanced up to see Carly"s cheeks were flushed pink at the praise, but she didn"t interrupt, her eyes lit with amusement as she listened.

"Now, Queen Carla lived in a magnificent castle atop a hill, and she spent her days happily, pursuing her passion for art and caring for her people," I continued, my heart pounding. "But the queen longed for something more. She dreamed of finding true love and starting a family of her own."

Ella"s gaze flickered between me and Carly, her expression one of rapt attention as she hung on my every word. "What happened next, Doctor Ben?"

"Well," I said, adopting a dramatic tone, "one day, fate intervened and brought a noble king into Queen Carla"s life."

Carly"s eyebrows shot up in surprise, a soft chuckle escaping her lips. "A noble king, huh?"

I grinned. "Of course. And this king was none other than King Benedict."

Ella"s eyes widened in excitement, her giggles filling the room as she clapped her hands together. "You"re the king, Doctor Ben?"

I shrugged, playing along with the story. "Maybe. King Benedict was brave and kind. And when he met Queen Carla, he knew she was the one he had been searching for."

Carly"s cheeks flushed even brighter, her gaze meeting mine with a mixture of amusement and affection. It was clear that she was enjoying the story just as much as Ella was.

"Together, Queen Carla and King Benedict embarked on a grand adventure, exploring the kingdom and forging a bond that could never be broken." I paused, thinking back on the night Carly and I had first met and internally laughing at myself. More like they embarked on a grand one-night stand. That wasn't very fairy tale. "And before long, their love blossomed into something truly magical."

Ella snuggled deeper into her blankets, her eyes sliding closed. "What about the princess, Doctor Ben? Did they have a princess?"

"Yes, Ella. They had a princess named… Eleanor. And Princess Eleanor was the most precious gift of all," I murmured, my voice growing quiet as I watched Ella"s breathing even out. "With her laughter and her love, she brought light and joy to the kingdom, filling the hearts of all who knew her."

As I finished the story, I leaned in to press a gentle kiss to Ella"s forehead, tucking the covers snugly around her sleeping form. "Sweet dreams, Princess," I whispered.

Carly strode over and placed a hand on my shoulder, her touch warm and reassuring. "Thank you, Bennett," she said softly, her voice filled with gratitude. "That was beautiful."

I met her gaze, a silent understanding passing between us. As I stood up to leave Ella"s room, Carly followed me out into the hallway. My pulse was sprinting ahead at lightning speed, my mind racing with all the things I wanted to say, to do, with the gorgeous mother of my child. But before I could consider a single move, Carly glanced at Ella's room for reassurance and then came up on her tiptoes to meet my lips with her own.

She kissed me softly at first. A gentle thanks, just as warm and velvety as I remembered her lips were back in college. It was like no time had passed between that one life-changing night and now. I kissed her back, surer of this choice than any other I'd made in a while, and I wrapped my arm around her waist to hug her close to me. My other hand found its way into her hair, gently cradling her head behind her ear.

Even though this kiss felt new and sweet, innocent, my body responded easily to Carly's lush form so close to mine. Remembering the night we'd slept together, the night Ella was conceived, I yearned deeply to taste and touch her again, to slide myself easily into her wet heat, to come home. But there was Ella to think about, now. We were more than just roommates or co-parents. We were a family, bound together by love and a shared journey that was only just beginning.

And to complicate things further, there was the fact that Carly had slept with both of my foster brothers, and neither of them seemed particularly interested in giving her up for the sake of the fantasy nuclear family I wanted. Who could blame them? I was just kissing Carly, our tongues barely coming into play as we tried to keep it slow, and I was dying to take her to bed. And it frightened me how badly I wanted to do that despite everything, how little I cared in this moment whether I had to share her with two or three or eighty other men. Any piece of Carly might be enough for me, I realized. Whatever it took to keep her with me, to make her happy, to make her mine.

But I couldn't give in right now. It wasn't the time. Instead, after a brief deepening of the kiss, a farewell to this feeling, I pulled away. Carly tried to follow me with her lips, but then her eyes slid open, and she met my gaze.

"Goodnight, Carly," I whispered to her as I headed off to my bedroom. I wasn't sure if I actually heard or imagined her own, tiny "Goodnight." But one thing was for sure. It was a good night. The best yet.