Page 58 of Dark Gambit: The Play
He looked like a god, and if they weren't expecting Amanda, Dalhu, and Vivian to arrive in a few moments, Syssi would have shown him how good she thought he looked.
"You look dashing, my love."
"Da-da," Allegra said in confirmation.
"Your daughter agrees." She kissed her sweet cheeks, twice on each side, but on the third pass, Allegra pushed her away.
"That's it? That's my quota of kisses?"
"Da-da." Allegra lifted her arms, making it clear who she wanted kisses from.
Syssi laughed. "She's her daddy's girl."
Kian lifted their daughter and spun her in the air, eliciting a string of adorable giggles. "That's because I do fun stuff with her."
Syssi shook her head. "It's dangerous. She's still human."
The smile slid off Kian's face, and he hugged Allegra to him. "She should spend more time with my mother."
"She's still too young to transition."
As the doorbell rang, Syssi walked over to open the door.
"Good evening, darling." Amanda leaned to kiss the air next to Syssi's cheek. "I don't want to leave lipstick stains on you."
"You look amazing." Since Syssi hadn't put on any, her lips actually made contact with Amanda's cheek.
"Careful of the makeup." Amanda tilted her head back, avoiding the second kiss coming her way.
"Sorry." Syssi backed away.
Amanda gave her a once-over. "You look stunning yourself."
Syssi looked down at her pale blue cocktail dress. "I love getting dressed without worrying about food stains for a change."
"Good evening." Dalhu pushed the stroller through the doorway, looking dashing in a navy suit. "I can't say the same. I mean about getting dressed for fancy dinners. Most of my clothing is covered in paint stains."
Amanda laughed. "Stuffing Dalhu into a suit was not an easy task. He only did it because he loves me and because I insisted that he couldn't attend Callie's opening night in a pair of jeans and a paint-stained T-shirt."
"I wasn't going to wear a T-shirt. I was going to wear one of those ridiculously expensive dress shirts you got me."
Amanda waved a dismissive hand and walked over to Kian and Allegra, treating each to an air kiss.
When the doorbell rang again, Okidu beat Syssi to the door and opened it for Vivian. "Good evening, mistress. Thank you for coming to watch over the little ones."
Was it Syssi's imagination, or did he sound hurt?
He was perfectly capable of babysitting both babies, but Syssi and Amanda still didn't feel a hundred percent confident leaving him with their daughters. Not because of safety concerns, but because Vivian was so much better qualified for the job, and she didn't mind doing it. In fact, she was jubilant every time she was asked to watch the girls, not that it happened often.
Okidu was there in case Vivian needed help.
"I'm happy to do it." Vivian walked over to the stroller and picked up Evie, who cooed happily at her. "Hello, beautiful people. You all look like models on a cover of a fashion magazine."
"Thank you." Amanda leaned and kissed the air next to both of Vivian's cheeks. "I'm looking forward to my first gourmet meal in the village."
When Okidu cleared his throat, Amanda lifted her hand. "In a fancy restaurant, darling. I adore your cooking. You know that."
That seemed to mollify him.