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“Of course not.”
When we arrive at Granny’s we head into the house. I turn to Tyler and say, “Give me a few minutes to make sure Granny is fine watching Maddie while we go out looking for Blake. I’ll be right back.”
“Hey, Avery? Would it be okay if I come back there with you and tell Maddie good-bye before we leave?”
I smile and love the fact that she’s at the forefront of his mind. “Sure, come on.”
We make our way back to Maddie’s room, and I notice Tyler smile.
“This would’ve been the addition that your dad and I were working on.”
“Yep. I wish Dad had been around to see it completed. He would’ve loved the way it turned out.”
We come to the first open door in the hallway. “This is Maddie’s room. She loves playing in here. She’s a typical little girl—dolls are her world.”
He chuckles. “I’ll take that as a hint when it comes time to buy her some gifts.”
Maddie is on the floor playing tea party with her dolls while Granny sits on a chair in the corner. Tyler stands beside me and just observes her in action for a few moments before Maddie glances in our direction and notices us.
“Momeee and Daddy, wanna play tea party with me? It’s realwe fun.”
Tyler grins and the expression on his face practically begs for a little extra time to have this moment together with our daughter.
I walk into the room and kneel down next to Maddie. “We have time for a cup.”
“Yaya,” she cheers and then instantly goes into setting out two saucers and teacups for us. “Sit down, Daddy!”
“Yes, ma’am.” It’s cute that Tyler obeys her the way he does.
We finish up our imaginary cups of tea and when I get clearance from Granny, Tyler and I say our good-byes and then head over to the bar.
The ride over to the bar is filled with Tyler’s questions about Maddie. He explains to me that since he’s missed so much, I have to tell him everything about her. We’re talking every single detail from her birth to what went on with her today.
We pull into the parking lot and Tyler cuts the engine. “I know I’ve bombarded you with questions, and I’ll probably ask you a million more until I feel like I’m up to date with all things Maddie, but I do have one more and then I’ll give you a break for a bit.”
I laugh. “It’s not really a hardship talking about the apple of my eye. Maddie is my favorite subject in the world.”
“I can see why. I can’t seem to get her off my mind.”
“She tends to have that infectious personality. I think she’s destined to be a star.”
His smile widens. “There’s no doubt about that. Anyone who meets her is going to fall in love. She’s beautiful, like you.”
My heart does a double thump after hearing his compliment. “Tyler . . .”
He leans in to me, and if I move even a fraction of an inch, our lips will meet. It’s been a long time since I’ve kissed Tyler, and I wonder if kissing him would still give me the butterflies like it used to.
“I’ve only got one more question,” he whispers.
“You can ask me anything.”
“What’s Maddie’s last name?”
“Mercer, like you. I know I should’ve asked you first, but—”
“I love that you gave her my name.”
“I’m glad.”
