The Unexpected Plus One

Sunlight filtered through the curtains, the warmth coaxing you awake. The bed beneath you was unfamiliar, but the memories of last night were anything but. His hands, his lips, the way he whispered your name—it had been exactly what you needed.

You stretched lazily, smiling to yourself. Staying the night had seemed like a good idea. Maybe you’d linger a bit longer, steal one of his shirts, and let him convince you to stay for breakfast.

Then, a noise.

A soft giggle. The clatter of plastic on the floor. A tiny voice chatting excitedly.

Your stomach dropped.

That was not him.

Slowly, you sat up, pulling the covers around you as you listened. Another giggle. A child’s giggle.

What. The. Hell.

Heart pounding, you cautiously stepped out of bed, grabbing the first piece of clothing you could find before creeping toward the sound. As you peeked around the corner, your breath caught.

A little girl, no older than four, sat cross-legged on the floor, carefully dropping a red game piece into a Connect Four board. She grinned to herself, clearly enjoying the game.

And sitting across from her, sipping coffee like this was completely normal, was him.

He looked up and smirked. “Morning, sunshine.”

Your eyes darted from him to the kid, then back again. “Um… what?”

The little girl beamed at you. “Hi! Daddy said you were still sleeping. You must’ve been really tired!”

Your soul left your body.

He chuckled, setting his mug down. “So… there’s something I should probably mention.”