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Pres got the distinct impression that his mom was as supportive of Cassie as she was of her own kids. And he liked that a lot.
He let out a long breath. “Yeah, she called asking if she could come down for Thanksgiving. Apparently she found out who Dad was. And suddenly wanted to come and visit.”
His mom winced. “Ouch. I’m guessing she said no.”
“She did.” And he was damn proud of that, too. “She told her she wasn’t interested in having a relationship with somebody who wasn’t there for her at her lowest. And then she hung up.”
His mom caught his gaze. “That was brave of her.”
“It was.” He nodded. She’d cried afterward though. But it had been a good kind of cry. The type that cleansed, not hurt.
It felt like another step forward. They were making them together, every day. Making their lives better with every stride.
The timer on the stove started ringing, letting his mom know that the potatoes were ready.
“Good. I’m glad she stood up for herself.” His mom checked the potatoes. “Now I need to get everything ready for dinner. Go spend some time with your girls. And don’t forget, you, Marley, and Hendrix will be cleaning up later.”
“They’re like animals,” Maddie said to Cassie as she watched her boys fight over who had to clean the pots. “I tried to bring them up to be polite. I swear I did. But…” she trailed off as Hendrix threw a handful of water at Marley. “Boys! No water fights.”
“Can I join in the water fight?” Delilah asked hopefully.
“No.” Maddie shook her head firmly. “Water fights are for the summer.”
Hendrix sniggered as Marley shook his now-wet hair at him. “You look like a dog,” he said. “But uglier.”
“Shut up.” Marley rolled his eyes.
Delilah walked over to Cassie and sat on her lap. “I know a secret,” she told her, turning her head to look at Cassie. She was beaming. “But I can’t tell you what it is.”
Maddie clucked her tongue. “You're not supposed to tell people that you know secrets.”
Delilah looked at her, wide eyed, as though Maddie was telling her the sky was green. “Why not?”
“Because then they're going to try to guess what it is. And spoil the surprise.”
“Do you know what the surprise is, Granny?” Delilah whispered loudly. “Did Daddy tell you too?”
“No.” Maddie shook her head, but there was a smile on her face. One that made Cassie suspect she was lying.
“I do, I know.” Delilah sang, looking extremely happy about that. “It's such a good secret, too.” She turned to Cassie, a huge smile on her face. “You’re going to love it.”
Maddie glanced at Delilah, then looked over her shoulder at Pres. “Why don't you go talk to Daddy about the secret?” she suggested.
“Because we already talked about it.” Delilah rolled her eyes. “Silly.”
Cassie was trying not to laugh. She had a little inkling of what was going on. And it made her heart beat way too fast. “Maybe we should talk about something else,” she suggested, mostly because Delilah looked like she was about to burst.
“Like what?” the little girl asked, tipping her head to the side as though she was trying to think of anything that was more exciting than her secret.
“I don't know. How about you show me your dance again?” Cassie pointed at the rug in front of the sofa where the three of them were sitting.
Delilah shook her head. “But I don't want to dance. I want Daddy to...”
“Honey, hush,” Maddie said quickly. Then she quickly got up and strode over to the kitchen were Pres and Marley were talking softly. She whispered something in his ear.
Pres rolled his eyes and nodded. For a moment he looked so much like Delilah that Cassie's heart clenched.
With a determined expression on his face, he put the dishcloth down in the sink and strode over to the living area, picking Delilah up. “Are you trying to spoil my surprise?” he asked her, tickling her sides until she started to giggle.
