“What do you mean?”
“The way he so left abruptly.” Almost as if he’d been flustered. “He was surprised we didn’t jump on his offer. The fact that you were unimpressed with the jet and the Malibu house—”
“Are you saying I insulted him? I didn’t mean to do that at all.”
“No.” But suddenly, he knew. “I never cried.”
“What?”
“I never had a tantrum around him. I wanted him to stay.” He sank into the memories, how it felt to wait for his dad to get home. The nanny would mark it on the calendar. They’d do a countdown. He could remember the anticipation, the anxiety. “And so, I didn’t complain or whine or—”
“You never broke down over spilled milk.” Awareness bloomed on her features. “He came in here expecting to see chaos, and instead, he saw a real family in action.” Her whole body tensed. “I don’t mean we’re a real family. That’s not what I’m saying.”
“No, I know what you mean. And we do feel like a real family. You’re right. He’s never seen one. He didn’t grow up in one.”
“So, it made him uncomfortable?”
“He’s always compensated for his absence by doing big, grand gestures. This whole scene is new to him.”New to me, too. “And I think we’ve given him something to think about.” He tipped her chin and kissed her. “It’s a good thing.”
You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.
A fierce determination seized him.
I want to be good for you, too.
ChapterSixteen
Hailey broughtout a tray filled with mugs of hot chocolate and bowls of popcorn. As she approached, she took in the scene before her.
In their pajamas and moose slippers, their hair still wet from a bath, the girls sat on the rug in front of the fireplace. Cole had his back to the couch, his legs stretched out under the coffee table, and Trevor had his feet up on a leather ottoman, a whiskey in one hand, an unlit cigar in the other.
Was it only two weeks ago she’d lived alone in a studio apartment in Manhattan, fighting for a handhold on the subway, trudging through pedestrian traffic to get to work on time?
“Okay, here we are.” She set the tray down, and the girls scrambled over. “I’ve already let these cool, so you’re okay to drink them now.” She slipped red and white striped glass straws into the mugs so the girls wouldn’t spill. Both of them gawked at the mountain of whipped cream with chocolate shavings on top.
“All right, let’s do this.” Cole grabbed his mug. “Who wants to go first?”
“What do I say?” Paisley asked.
“Anything you want.” Hailey settled in across from Cole, their legs brushing under the table. Even such innocent contact made her blood go fizzy. She wanted to crawl onto his lap and feel those strong arms close around her. “Just say the first memory that pops into your mind. Don’t worry about any kind of order. You can just start talking, and we’ll write everything down.” She picked up her pen and said, “Whenever you’re ready.”
“Mommy kisseded me here.” Evvie patted her cheek. “She wikes my tubby teeks.”
“They are pretty adorable.” Cole wrote that one down. He was in charge of the littlest one’s memories, while Hailey had Paisley’s.
“My daddy hates milk.” Paisley grinned. “It makes him do this.” She made gagging noises that cracked her sister up.
Good. This was very good. While it had seemed like a nice idea, she hadn’t been sure how the girls would react.
“You want to know why?” Cole asked, smiling. “It used to be his favorite thing in the world. Any time we went out to eat, he’d order milk. When he came over, he’d pour himself a big glass. He loved ice cream and cheese—anything with dairy. And then one day, we were riding our bikes across a big field. Someone got the stupid idea to milk one of the cows, and while they were doing it, while they were squeezing milk out of the udder, your dad was grossed out. He wanted nothing to do with it. And I said, ‘Dude, that’smilk. That’s what you drink.’ You should’ve seen his face. We told him that’s where ice cream and cheese came from, too. His face went green and right there in the field, in front of all of us, in front of the cows, he threw up.”
Everyone was laughing, and Paisley said, “Daddy was funny.”
“Your dad was the best.” Cole turned somber.
“I’ve got a memory.” Trevor’s deep voice came out a low rumble.
Paisley stopped sipping. “You knew my daddy?”