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“Let’s go.”
I’m more than ready to have both of my girls tucked into my house for the day. There’s no other way I’d rather spend it.
“Oh, I talked to my sister after you left. And, well, long story short, you and Piper are invited to join us for family dinner tomorrow.”
I watch her face closely as we stand in the elevator.
“Is that what you want?”
I can tell she’s trying to school her features.
“Sure. I mean, I wouldn’t invite you if I didn’t want you there. They won’t bite.”
“I’d love to come.”
Her body sags as if in relief.
I lean in and kiss her cheek. “We’re on our own timeline. Don’t forget that.”* * * *“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Larry.” I shake the older man’s hand, meeting his gaze.
“It’s a surprise to meet you,” Larry replies and then hugs his daughter. “But then again, Noel has always been full of surprises.”
“Funny, Dad,” Noel says, rolling her eyes.
“I’m Piper,” my daughter says and holds out her hand to shake.
“Well, hello there, Piper,” Larry says, bending over to smile at my daughter. “It’s lovely to meet you. Why, you look just like your daddy.”
“Yup,” my daughter says, nodding. “You have a puppy!”
“This is Nancy,” Noel says and scratches the one-eyed bulldog behind the ear. “She used to belong to my sister, Joy, but Nancy loves being here with my dad.”
“And who wouldn’t?”
We glance over to see a man and a woman walk out of the kitchen.
“I’m Jase,” the man says.
“And I’m Joy, the other daughter. You know, the selfless one who gave up her dog for her daddy.”
“She’s also humble,” Jase says with a laugh.
Noel takes our jackets and hangs them up in a hall closet, and we move into the living space.
“Your home is lovely,” I say and turn to Noel. “Did you grow up here?”
“We did,” she says and grins. “Dad bought the house shortly after I was born, and we’ve been here ever since.”
“I love that,” I say as I take a seat in the living room. Piper and Nancy are getting acquainted, playing nearby. “It’s what I want for Piper, as well. That’s why I bought the house as soon as she came to live with me.”
“She hasn’t always been with you?” Larry asks.
“No, sir.” I take a moment to fill Noel’s family in on how Piper came to be with me and when. “So both of our lives were turned on their ear, but I think we’re coming through it just fine.”
“It looks that way to me,” Joy says, a soft smile on her lips. “Noel, would you please help me in the kitchen?”
“Is that code for leave Reed alone to fend for himself with Jase and Daddy?” Noel asks.
“No, it’s code for I want all the details, so come with me right now.”
Noel laughs and looks over at me. “Are you good here?”
“I’m great.”
“Okay, then. Come on, Piper, the girls are going into the kitchen. But I want you to know, right now, that a woman’s place is not always in the kitchen, okay? You can be whatever you want to be.”
“I want to be a princess!” Piper exclaims as she follows Noel and Joy into the kitchen, Nancy hurrying along behind them. Once the swinging door shuts, I look at the two men sitting across from me.
“I guess it’s a good thing that I never remodeled that kitchen like the girls always pestered me to, for moments like this one.” Larry crosses one ankle over the other knee and levels his gaze on me. “Tell me about yourself, Reed.”
I’m in the most important interview of my life. I want to make a good impression. I want Piper and me to belong here.
Because the woman I love loves them. And I’m old enough to know that when you fall in love with a person and want them to be your family, you automatically get their family as well.
“I’m from Issaquah,” I begin and tell Larry and Jase about my family. My business. My daughter.
“I’ve heard of your firm,” Jase says. “I’m the chief of cardiothoracic surgery at Seattle General. Several of my colleagues are your clients.”
“I can’t confirm or deny that,” I say, smiling.
“I’ll be honest,” Larry says, leaning forward, “I am impressed by your resume, and I like your sweet daughter very much. You seem like a nice man. But I want to know what your intentions are with my daughter.”
“I think they just started dating,” Jase reminds him. “It might be early days for this conversation.”
“I have eyes in my head,” Larry says. “And I’m looking at a man in love.”
“You’re not wrong.” I brace my elbows on my knees and lean forward, looking Larry right in the eyes. “I’m in love with her. And, yes, it’s early days, but I don’t care. I plan to have Noel in my life for as long as I’m breathing, if she’ll have me. I know it’s asking a lot because I have a child. It’s a big commitment, but I’m going to ask it of her anyway because the thought of being without her is devastating.”
