From A Producer To A Global Superstar

Luna lifted the dress from the bag and held it in front of herself.

"I love it."

Dayo smiled.

"I saw it and thought of you."

Luna looked at him.

"You actually went into a shop and picked this yourself?"

"I did."

She laughed softly. "I wish I had seen that."

"You would’ve embarrassed me."

"I would have."

Dayo stood beside her as she looked at the dress again.

Luna touched the fabric.

"It’s beautiful."

"I’m glad."

She turned toward him, still holding it.

"Thank you."

Dayo leaned closer and kissed her forehead.

"You don’t have to thank me."

Luna smiled.

For the first time in days, neither of them had anywhere else to be.

Luna held the red dress against herself and looked at Dayo for a few seconds before looking back at the dress.

"You bought this for me?"

Dayo smiled from the edge of the bed. "I did."

She ran her fingers lightly over the fabric. "Why?"

"Because I saw it and thought of you and damn does it look good on you."

The blush could be seen on Luna’s face. "Oh stop it Dayo."

Luna looked at him again, still trying to understand why he had gone out of his way to do something so simple. The dress was beautiful, but it was not the dress that had caught her attention. It was the fact that Dayo had stopped whatever he was doing, walked into a boutique, described her to a stranger, and brought something home just because he wanted to see her wear it.

"You know you don’t have to keep doing things like this," she said quietly.

"I know."

"Then why do you?"

Dayo shifted closer. "Because I want to and I love you."

Luna lowered the dress onto the bed and sat beside him. For a moment, she looked down at her hands.

"I know you’ve been busy," she said. "I know there’s a lot happening around you. I also know you’re trying to make things better for us."

Dayo listened without interrupting.

"I don’t want you thinking I’m angry because you’re doing what you have to do. I’m not. Sometimes I just miss you. That’s all."

The words stayed between them for a moment.

Dayo reached for her hand. "I know."

"You say that, but sometimes I don’t think you really do."

"I do." He rubbed his thumb across the back of her hand. "I’ve been spending too much time away from you and Jennifer. I keep telling myself that once I finish this thing, I’ll have more time. Then something else happens."

Luna gave him a small smile. "That’s because you keep finding something else to do."

"I know."

She leaned against his shoulder. "I don’t need you to stop being who you are. I just need you to remember that you’re also here."

Dayo turned toward her. "I’m trying."

"I know you are."

The tension that had been sitting between them for days seemed to loosen. Luna rested her head against him while he wrapped an arm around her.

"Thank you," he said.

"For what?"

"For understanding me."

Luna looked up at him. "You make it easy sometimes."

"Sometimes?"

"Don’t push it."

Dayo laughed quietly and kissed her forehead.

From the other side of the room came a soft sound from the baby monitor.

They both looked toward it.

Jennifer had started making noise.

Luna smiled. "She’s awake."

Dayo stood first. "I’ll get her."

"You bought me a dress. You can get your daughter too."

He walked toward the nursery with a smile still on his face.

A few moments later, Luna heard him talking softly to Jennifer. The baby’s answer came in a string of sounds that made very little sense but somehow seemed to require a serious response.

"Good morning, my girl. You slept well?"

Another excited noise came from the nursery.

"I know. I missed you too."

Luna stayed in the bedroom for another moment, listening to them.

It was a small thing, but she had missed this.

The next morning came without the usual rush.

Luna was in the kitchen preparing breakfast when Dayo walked in carrying Jennifer. The baby had one hand wrapped around his shirt and kept looking around as though she had important business to inspect.

"She wants food," Dayo said.

Luna looked at Jennifer. "You just woke up."

Jennifer responded with another sound.

"That’s not an answer."

Dayo placed her carefully in her chair. "She says you’re taking too long."

"She can wait."

Jennifer immediately protested.

Dayo laughed as he moved toward the counter. "I think she disagrees."

Luna handed him a small bowl. "Then you feed her."

"I knew there was a reason I brought her here."

"You brought her here because she’s your daughter."

"That too."

Breakfast took longer than it should have because Jennifer kept reaching for whatever was closest to her. Luna wiped her hands twice before giving up and letting Dayo handle the mess.

By the time they finished, the kitchen looked lived in rather than tidy. Jennifer had managed to get food on her clothes, Dayo had some on his sleeve, and Luna had stopped trying to keep everything clean.

It did not matter.

They stayed around the table longer than usual.

Dayo watched Luna as she spoke about small things that had happened while he was away. She told him about Jennifer’s new habit of trying to stand without holding anything, the way she had started following people around the room, and how she had become fascinated with opening drawers.

"I think she’s going to destroy the house," Dayo said.

"She gets that from you."

"I don’t destroy houses."

"You destroy schedules."

Dayo smiled. "That’s different."

Jennifer suddenly made a loud sound from her chair.

Both of them turned toward her.

Luna laughed. "See? She’s already joining the conversation."

Dayo leaned toward his daughter. "What did you say?"

Jennifer reached for him.

He picked her up immediately.

The rest of the morning moved slowly.

Dayo stayed home instead of rushing back to the office. He carried Jennifer around the living room while Luna folded clothes nearby. Every few minutes, Jennifer reached toward something she wanted, and Dayo would move closer so she could touch it.

At one point, she grabbed his nose.

"Jennifer."

She held on.

Luna looked over from the sofa. "She likes it."

"She’s trying to remove it."

"Maybe she thinks it doesn’t belong there."

Dayo looked at his daughter. "Your mother is encouraging you."

Jennifer made another happy sound and grabbed his face again.

Luna laughed.

Dayo eventually sat on the floor with Jennifer between his legs. She tried to stand, lost her balance, and landed against him. He caught her before she could fall properly.

"Easy," he said.

Jennifer looked up at him.

Dayo kissed the top of her head. "You’ve got plenty of time."

Luna watched them quietly.

There were moments like this that made all the noise outside feel far away. No meetings. No reports. No people waiting for decisions. Just the three of them in the same room.

Later, Luna returned to the bedroom to check the dress.

She held it up again and looked at herself in the mirror.

Dayo appeared behind her.

"You like it?"

She looked at him through the mirror. "I do."

"Good."

"You really described me to that woman?"

Dayo smiled. "I had to."

"What exactly did you say?"

He thought for a second. "I said you’re slender."

"Okay."

"And that you have curves."

Luna turned around. "Dayo."

"What?"

"You told a stranger that?"

"She asked."

Luna tried not to smile. "You could have just said my size."

"I did."

"And then?"

"I explained."

"Of course you did."

Dayo moved closer and rested his hands around her waist. "I wasn’t embarrassed."

"I can tell."

"You know I love you."

Her expression softened.

"I know."

He kissed her gently.

For a while, neither of them said anything.

The dress remained hanging between them, forgotten for a moment.

When evening came, they had dinner together again. Jennifer sat between them, making a mess with her food while both parents tried to stop her from grabbing everything on the table.

Afterward, Luna took Jennifer upstairs while Dayo stayed behind to clear the table.

It was something he normally would have left for someone else.

Tonight he did it himself.

When he joined them later, Jennifer was already getting sleepy. Luna had changed her and was holding her close.

Dayo sat beside them.

"She’s almost asleep."

"She fought it."

"She gets that from you too."

Dayo smiled. "You blame me for everything."

"Only the things you deserve."

Jennifer’s eyes closed.

The room became quiet.

Luna looked down at their daughter and then toward Dayo. "This is nice."

Dayo rested his hand on her knee. "Yeah."

"No calls?"

"Not tonight."

"No office?"

"Not tonight."

Luna smiled.

Dayo looked at Jennifer sleeping peacefully in her arms.

For once, he didn’t feel the need to reach for his phone.

He stayed there with them until the room grew quiet and the night settled around the house.