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I walk toward him and nudge him out of the way with my hip. “I’ll have whatever you all are having, which looks like chocolate chip. Perfect. Where’s June?”
“Cleaning up her stuffed animals. We had a tea party yesterday, and the collection of bears and giraffes didn’t get put away.”
“That explains the tiara then.”
Dallas shrugs. He leans against the counter and faces me. “It makes her happy.”
Simple, easy, as true as the sky is blue.
If there was a Dad of the Year award, it would go to him.
No one else would even be in contention.
His love for June is pure and honest. It’s full of mistakes and mess-ups and so many things not going right. But there is so muchgoodin that love, too. Half-done nail polish on his lefthand and tiny braids in his hair. The quiet moments where he holds her in the rocking chair, her head on his chest and his arms wrapped around her like he’s protecting her from the world.
He’d move mountains to make her happy, a deep adoration that no matter how hard I try, I’ll never understand. I can admire it, though. I can feel it in my bones when he tells her she’s his favorite girl and hugs her extra tight before he leaves for the stadium.
It’s the most selfless love I’ve ever known, and it makes me want to be a better person because of it.
“You’re a good man and a good father,” I say softly, and he watches me. “And if you want to fire me, I understand. You’re doing what’s best for your daughter, and I don’t hold that against you at all.”
“Fire you?” Dallas takes a step toward me. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“I don’t know. Your text was vague, and I thought maybe you wanted to part ways.”
“Maven.” He sets down the spatula he’s holding and puts his hands on my shoulders. “Why would I fire you? You’re the good part of all of my days. June’s days, too. I’m being vague because I have a surprise for JB, and I want you to come along, too.”
“You do?”
“Yeah.” His laugh is soft and shy, and he dips his chin. “If you thought I was going to fire you, I need to do a better job of showing you how much I like you being here.”
“No, it’s not that. I just…” I bite my bottom lip and reach out, tugging one of the strings of his apron. “Being here with you and June is so fun, and we’re normally open with each other about things that are going on in her life and ours. I mean, I told you my period cramps were going to make me late last week, and you didn’t even bat an eye.”
“I grew up with a sister, remember? I bought a heating pad, by the way. For you to use if you’re ever here and in pain. It’s in the guest room bathroom with some Advil.”
“Oh. That is—thank you, Dallas. You didn’t have to do that.”
“Have to and want to are two different things, Maven, and I wanted to do it because I want you to be comfortable when you’re here. Shawn was nice enough to give us today off from practice, too, so I figured the three of us could take advantage of the time off.”
“That sounds fun. I’m sorry for assuming the worst. That was shitty of me.”
“You’re forgiven.” He gives my arm a squeeze. “I’m not going to tell you where we’re going, but I will say you need to take off your jewelry. I know how much you love that necklace, and leaving it on puts it at risk of getting ruined.”
I touch the gold chain around my neck, aware that he’s noticed I never go anywhere without it. “Want me to grab June?”
“Please. We’ll eat, get her ready then head out.”
“We make a good team, don’t we?”
“No, Maven.” His smile curls into something different. Secretive, almost, and I want to know what he’s thinking. “We make the best fucking team.”
“A splatter paint room?”I ask, and I look around the lobby of the building Dallas led us into twenty minutes ago. “How does it work?”
“It’s easy. We throw paint wherever we want. On the canvas. At each other. You can use your hands or the brushes. It’s supposed to be a fun stress reliever.” Dallas kneels down and helps June step into the provided jumpsuit we’re all wearing tocover our clothes. “JB. You aren’t allowed to eat the paint okay? It’ll make you sick.”
“Okay, Daddy,” June agrees.
“This might be the coolest thing I’ve ever done,” I say.
