“Cain, some champagne?” Edith asked, holding up a bottle.
“Of course. Gotta celebrate the birthday girl,” he said as Emily climbed onto his lap, Coco clutched in her arms, wearing a DIVA sweater. “Thanks, Grandma,” he said, accepting the glass.
Emily picked up one of the wrapped gifts and gave it a shake before checking the tag. She beamed up at Cain. “This one’s from you, Daddy.”
“Sure is.”
Emily looked thoughtfully over at Violet, who was rubbing her very pregnant stomach—their first boy, due in two months.
“Mommy?” Emily said. “Does Daddy ever get you birthday presents?”
“Of course. You saw me open them in May,” Violet said, nibbling a cookie.
“Oh. That’s right. What was the first present he ever got you?”
“The first? Piano lessons.”
“Piano lessons! For your birthday?”
“Actually, no. It was the day after Valentine’s Day.”
“Why the day after Valentine’s Day, Daddy?”
“Because we were busy on that particular day,” he said, rubbing his bearded chin affectionately on the top of his daughter’s head. “But I bought the gift a long time before that.”
“When?”
“The first time I ever heard her play ‘Heart and Soul.’?”
“Why did you buy her lessons then?” Marla chimed in. “Was she bad?”
“No. No.” Cain met Violet’s eyes across the room. “Because I knew even then that I loved her.”