April & Noah

I Just Drove to Say I Love You

"Kelechi!"

"What, Daddy?"

"How many times do I have to ask you? Get in the car!"

Just then, an unamused, little girl came bounding down the stairs, a frown set on her face. "I'm coming," she grumbled. Her gaze was glued to the floor as she shuffled to the front door.

Her father eyed her curiously. "Is something wrong?"

"No."

He sighed. "C'mon, sweetheart," he coaxed, stooping down to be eye-level with his daughter. "Tell me what's going on."

Kelechi let out a great huff. "I can't fix my stupid hair," she muttered, pointing at her coarse, black curls.

Surprised, Noah's eyebrows hiked up. "That's not nice to say."

She rolled her eyes. "My hair doesn't have feelings, Daddy," she deadpanned.

He chuckled. "No, but you do." When Kelechi's nose scrunched up in confusion, he smiled, planting a peck on her forehead. "I happen to think your hair is beautiful."

"It's not," she insisted, her brown eyes flooding with despair. "Why can't my hair be like—like Evie's? She's got real pretty curls that aren't all frizzy like mine."

Noah lifted her chin with a gentle finger, their gazes meeting. "Because you're not Evie," he said simply. "You were born the way you are for a reason." Glancing up at her hair, he fondly touched the end of a springy curl before returning his blue eyes to hers. "You were given awesome hair that just requires a bit more care."

Kelechi's lips quirked into a tiny smile, revealing her two front teeth that were just beginning to grow in. "Should I leave my hair the way it is, then?" she asked.

Her father shrugged. "That's up to you, sweetheart."

A frustrated sigh escaped her lips. "You always say that," Kelechi complained.

He flashed her a grin, which was obstructed by his overgrown, brown beard. "C'mon," he said softly. "We got some ladies waiting on us."

♥

"How much longer, Daddy?"

Noah stole a glimpse of his daughter in the rearview mirror. Her head rested against the window, her thick curls springing in every direction. As if sensing his gaze on her, Kelechi's eyes snapped to his.

His heart warmed at the mere sight of the toothy smile that spread across her face. "About ten minutes left," he replied.

Silence soon blanketed the car, though the eight-year-old girl's mind whirred with activity. Before she could think twice, her impulsive brain shot her greatest desire to the tip of her tongue, and she simply couldn't hold the words back. "Are you going to marry April?" Kelechi blurted out.

"I'd like to."

"But will you?" she prodded. She never liked her father's indirect answers.

Sensing her irritation, Noah smirked. "That'll ultimately be up to April," he told her.

"Well, she better say yes," Kelechi stated, crossing her arms over her chest. "I want Evie to be my sister already."

"I know you do." The corners of Noah's lips twitched upwards. "You've only reminded me about a billion times since Christmas."