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“Are you sure? I don’t want to interrupt your night.”
“You’re not interrupting a thing. I’m glad you’re here.”
Maven smiles. “Okay. I’d like that a lot.”
They walk down the hall and I watch them go, knowing my friends are going to give me absolute shit when they meet her.
TEN
MAVEN
“All clean.”I run a brush through June’s wet hair and pull the brown waves back into the two pigtails she likes to wear. “You’re as good as new, kid.”
She twirls around in the sparkly pink skirt she put on after her bath. “Can I wear a crown?”
“Of course you can. You never need an excuse to wear a crown, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.” I grab a tiara off the floor and set it on her head. “There. Now you look just like the princess from the movie.”
June hurries over to the dresser. She rummages through a drawer before running back over and handing me another tiara. “Yours.”
“Thank you, June Bug.” I smile and put it in my hair. “How do I look?”
“Pretty.” She throws her arms around my neck and gives me a hug. “You’re my best friend, Mae Mae.”
The nice words lodge themselves in my heart, and I squeeze her tight. “You’remybest friend, June. I’m sorry for not taking you to the potty today.”
“That’s okay.” She pats my cheek and giggles. “I love you.”
“I love you, too, kiddo.” I pick her up and step over a pile of blocks. “Let’s go find your dad. I heard he’s making us burgers, and I’m starving.”
We head down the hall, and the tension I’ve been holding onto starts to seep away. I know Dallas isn’t going to bite my head off, and the longer I hold June in my arms and she talks about castles and dragons, and puppies, the more I know he was right.
She’s already forgotten about what happened, and I need to let a little bit of that guilt go.
I slow my steps as we approach the living room and take my time so I can make sure we’re not interrupting anything. I’ve heard about Dallas’s friends, but I haven’t met them. June calls them her uncles, and knowing she has an army of men who love her and care about her makes me happy.
It’s exactly how my dad and Shawn are, best friends from childhood and a friendship that’s lasted for decades. Sometimes it feels like I have two dads. Both of them are around whenever I need advice and are eager to jump in when I ask for help. I’m lucky to have so many people who support me, and so is June.
A laugh bounces off the walls and rings in my ears, and my lips tug up into a smile.
Dallas.
I’d recognize that sound anywhere.
It’s good to hear him having fun. Between parenting and practice and the errands he’s constantly running, he hardly gets a second to himself.
I’ve been taking up those precious seconds, too, hanging out at the apartment the last couple of nights and chatting with him about my college days and what it was like when he entered the league. He asked to see more of my photography and I asked to see the yearbook the team puts together at the end of every season.
Spending time with him is easy andfun.
He’ll grin at me from across the couch. Hold his side when I make a joke. Wheeze with tears in his eyes after I show him a funny video until he finally settles down. He hugs me before I leave, his arms wrapping me tight and holding me there for one second, then two and three.
He’s a good guy, and I’m not sure I’ve ever met a man like Dallas Lansfield before.
“Daddy,” June says as we come around the corner into the living room, and I set her on the rug.
She takes off, giggling as she makes her way toward him. I lean against the wall and watch him scoop her in his arms and spin her around.
“There’s my girl.” His eyes flick over to me, and his smile grows. “Hey, Mae. Are you doing okay?”
