“No. I can’t have tea. And that’s all I drink.”
“Yeah, but there’s lemonade, too,” Barron said.
“Why can’t you have tea?” Hellen asked.
“I don’t know. Mom says no caffeine.”
“No caffeine…” Hellen’s eyes lit up with realization and her mouth formed a perfect ‘O’. “Oh! Oh, Em!”
“NO! Not today!” Emmalyn said hurriedly, hushing Hellen by pressing her hand over Hellen’s mouth. “Is there lemonade? I’ll try some lemonade,” Emmalyn said, smiling, while standing there with one arm around Hellen’s head and her opposite hand still holding Hellen’s mouth closed, waiting for Barron to get her some lemonade.
“Not on Daisy’s day!” Emmalyn whispered.
Hellen nodded, then turned to look at Emmalyn when Emmalyn finally released her. “You good?” Hellen asked.
“Oh, yeah,” Emmalyn said, smiling brightly as Analise came to hug them both.
“If she gets to be mayor, I want to be assistant mayor,” Havoc said. “I could run shit while she’s being mommy.”
“Cher, can we move? Before these two take over in any capacity?” Lucien asked sarcastically.
“You see that shit?! I was going to make you assistant-assistant mayor. Not now, though,” Havoc said, walking away as he shook his head disbelievingly.
“Why is no one else surprised?” Hellen asked looking around at her family.
“They all know. You’ve been locked in the house with lover-boy, so you don’t know,” Emmalyn said.
“Lover-boy,” Lucien said. “I like that. Lucien Lover-Boy.”
“That is not your name,” Emmalyn said.
“Should be. You said so yourself,” Lucien said, blowing a kiss at Emmalyn.
“Knock knock,” Kiernan said, as he and Abby arrived with their kids.
“I like it here,” KJ whispered to his mother.
“I know. It’s so pretty!” Abby said, smiling at her toddler as he looked around wide-eyed.
“Thank you for coming,” Daisy said, walking back into the room with more appetizers.
“Thank you for inviting us.”
“Of course,” Daisy said. “Walk around and see what you think. There’s food everywhere.”
“Don’t have to tell us twice,” Kiernan said. “Oh, by the way, Shaun will be here in a little while. He’s running late. He was fixing one of Bailey’s ovens. Don’t know if she’ll make it though, she’s a little behind for tomorrow’s pastries and all. And Addy’s not home from Christian’s place in New Orleans yet.”
“It’s no problem. I’m just really glad you guys wanted to try to make it at all,” Daisy said.
“Baby-girl, I have to tell you, your studio is amazing!” Bane said as he walked in from the kitchen.
“How’d you sneak past me?” she asked.
“We came in the back. Mom and I were so caught up in looking at the paint job on the place that we forgot to use the front door. We just came in the back.”
“You like it?”
“Oh, honey, I love it,” Janie said. “It’s just you. Everywhere I look I see you.”
