“Ijustsaid you look fine. Gah!” She laughs.
I do look fine, perfectly presentable, but it feels like this collar wants to strangle me.
Can’t remember the last time I felt this nervous. Hell, this is Clee’s big night, and I want to add to her success, not infect her with my jitters.
“You could wipe your forehead. You’re sweating,” Kit says unhelpfully.
I glower at her, wiping my skin with the back of my hand.
“Time?” I clip.
“Half past six.”
Almost time to meet Cleo.
“Let’s check the back room,” I say.
“Daaad.” Kit drops down and grabs my arm. “You’ve already checked like, five million times. I went and looked again while you were busy.Everything’s cool. Seriously.”
Cool?
Not possible with the sword of destiny hanging over my head.
I turn and look down at Kit, who wears an adorably frustrated smile. For a second, this situation feels weirdly inverted, like I’m the child and she’s the adult, fussing over me.
She even reaches up on her toes and straightens my bow tie.
“Are you ready?” she asks.
“Areyou?”
“Um, yeah?” She frowns at me. “I was born ready.”
“It’s just— This is a big deal.” I put my hands on her shoulders. “If Clee says yes—if she accepts—it’s a permanent change. No going back for me, for her, or for you.”
Kit rolls her eyes and pushes her glasses up her nose.
“Jeez Louise, Dad. I’ve been ready for this longer than you have. I’ve wanted you to have a lifeforever.”
Yeah, don’t remind me.
I want to tell her our two-family life was still living, but she’s right. It took forever and an age to get here.
Kit, it’s easy for her.
She still sees the world in black and white, all neat, clean lines.
Over the past few months, we’ve made a new life together, and some days I think she’s had an easier time with the change than I have. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t trade one second of sharing our house with Cleo.
It’s just been one hell of an adjustment, despite being overwhelmingly positive.
“Anyway, we talked about this. You talked at me until you were blue in the face and I listened patiently. Remember?” Kit scolds me again with her eyes.
“And I bought you ice cream every other time for being such a good listener.” I mock scowl at her, but it’s true. The second I decided on writing our whole future in stone, I ran it past my little girl first.
It’s not just my life now. Never was. It’s Kit’s, too.
Luckily, there was never any question and zero complications in her mind.
