“How old are you now, Daddy?” Lily asked.
“He’s forty-six!” Micah answered.
Lily nodded once. “Four and six. That’s not a lot. I’m a five.”
“Your math is flawless.” Ash kissed the top of her head.
I chuckled and handed him his coffee.
“Don’t we need plates?” Hallie asked.
“I’m doing laundry after this birthday madness, so go nuts,” I answered. I had my first patient at nine, and I intended to get a whole list of crap done before then.
“We’re starting with my gift,” Dylan said. “Hallie’s just gonna outshine us anyway. Happy birthday, Dad.”
“No one’s outshinin’ anyone in this family,” Ash replied. He accepted the box and gave it the mandatory shake. “Well, it ain’t china.”
Micah snorted. “You can’t fit a country in there.”
I grinned and took a sip of my own coffee. “Go on—get something to eat, kids.”
Lily dove for the bowl of grapes.
Dylan bit into a waffle, providing the bed with its first round of crumbs. “I know you don’t really go for the golf brands, so I figured this was safe.”
Ash unboxed a new ball cap and smiled widely. Yeah, the Eagles sure worked.
“Fan-fucking-tastic.” He put it on backward, which was just sexy as hell on him. My bad boy. “Thank you, son. This means a lot. Theo’s been givin’ me shit about my old one.”
Ah, the famous Sweat Brim.
“My turn!” Micah declared around a mouthful of scrambled eggs.
That seemed to inspire Ash, who snatched up a strip of bacon. “It’s perfect.”
I smiled and leaned in quick for a kiss, because I fucking could.
He smiled back.
Dylan smirked, too cool to show that he was happy. But Ash and I had seen it last night. He was relieved.
We hadn’t had the opportunity to sit down with him and Hallie properly yet, so we’d decided that I was gonna talk toHallie after school, and Ash was going to talk to Dylan since he was stopping by Ash’s work later. That way, we could tell everyone about the house tonight at dinner.
“Happy birthday, Dad.” Micah handed over his gift.
The gift was admittedly hilarious, and he’d thought of it all on his own. I’d been impressed by his creativity.
Ash opened the box to find six golf balls that Micah had doodled on. Aside from critters and trees and shining suns, each one had some funny words.
He cracked up when he read my two favorites. “‘Ouch, that hurts,’” he laughed. “‘Please don’t hit me!’”
Micah beamed.
“You’re too funny, sweetheart. Thank you. Who’s next? Gimme all the gifts.”
Lily snickered and extended hers. “I made it.”
We loved the homemade gifts, even if they came with a fuck-ton of glitter. Like hers usually did. She’d decorated a picture frame, and I’d helped her pick out a photo of her and Ash.
