I huff out a humorless laugh as Peony walks toward us, poking at whatever is in her hand. “I might not have put the bomb in the building, but I should have listened to my gut when it told me something was off.”
Peony stops in front of Kellan, cutting off whatever rebuttal he might have said. “Hi!” She grins at him and shows him the purple petal on her palm.
“What do you have?” He leans down and picks up the flower.
“You!”
“Is this for me?” He points to himself.
She rapidly nods, then toddles to me and stretches her arms across my sprawled legs. “Daddy. Up.”
I hoist her onto my lap, happy for the distraction, and bounce her on my thighs.
This, I can handle.
Talking about how I’m skilled at failing the people I love, like I failed Kenda and Cooper and Clarke, is something I’d rather not do with Kellan. Or anyone.
Peony giggles and chats with Kellan as if they’re life-long friends. He replies, though neither of us knows what she’s saying. But that doesn’t matter.
What matters is she’s cheerfully talking to us and is smiling.
The fear she initially felt toward us has vanished. In its place is a trust I will fight for, to make sure it never dies.
Kellan’s phone rings on the table. He checks the screen and accepts the call. “What’s up?”
He doesn’t have his phone on speaker, but his gruff tone softens, giving away the caller is Emily. I don’t think he realizes his voice does that whenever she calls him.
“Okay.…Okay.…” Anger flickers in his expression, but his tone is neutral, the anger obviously not directed at Emily. “I’ll be right there.” He ends the call and stands.
“Work emergency?”
He grunts—and just like that, he’s back to his shut-down self. The result of his fucked-up biological mother who abandoned him as a young child and a father he never knew.
“Bye, Peony.” He waves at her, but the smile he usually flashes for her benefit is now nothing more than a fizzled light bulb.
I tickle Peony’s tummy as he heads for the side gate. “How ’bout you and I search for fairies?” While Athena finishes whatever she’s doing inside. Then she can look after Peony while I work.
“Fai-wies.”
We walk through the backyard, checking the trees with the tiny doors and windows on the trunks. Zara and Jess were busy last weekend, setting up the fairy homes while I was away as a surprise.
Athena is standing on the patio, flipping through a stack of envelopes in her hand, by the time we return.
“Any sign of your replacement ID and Social Security Number?”
“Not yet.” She continues flipping through the stack, her expression not revealing her thoughts about the delay. If it were me, at this point, I’d be checking into what was taking so long. “They will come when they come.” She hands me the mail with a shrug.
I just don’t get how she can be so nonchalant about the long wait. It’s like she’s not interested in having a bank account.
“You do realize I will be telling the IRS that I’m paying you for childcare?” For all I know, she wasn’t planning to file her taxes for this year,which is why she isn’t in a rush to get a bank account. But I have no intention of being dragged into her mess if that’s her plan.
“I know.” She walks to the large toy truck on the grass and picks it up. “I’m sure everything will arrive in plenty of time for that.”
Let’s hope so—otherwise the government really needs to get its act together when it comes to these delays.
I kneel next to Peony. “Daddy’s going back to work now. Can I have a hug first?”
She tries to scramble onto my bent leg in an attempt to hug me. I scoop her up, balance her on my thigh, and embrace her. She returns my hug, her little body crushed against me. I kiss her cheek and lower her to the ground.
