“No, you don’t.” I kissed her nose. “Because you can’t whisper or keep a secret.”
“Yes, I can!”
I flinched at the volume, to which everyone else laughed. Except for Ash; he was busy reading the reservation I’d made for us.
“Hold on,” he said. “We’re goin’ to Mammoth Cave National Park?”
“They don’t have mammoths,” Micah explained. “I asked.”
I grinned.
Ash turned to me.
“For three days,” I confirmed. “I know we usually rent an RV, but I figured it would be nice to try a hotel sometime. So Ifound that retreat—it’s family-friendly. We can drive there. It’s ten hours, so I’d imagine we split that into two days for the little ones’ sakes, and…”
“Check out the picture on the back, Dad,” Hallie urged. “You’ll see our suite.”
“Suite? We are not suite people.” Ash lifted his brows and turned the page. “But I am willing to give it a go. It’s an entire luxury lodge. Sweet Jesus, Nate. This is incredible. Is, uh…is that a hot tub in our bedroom?”
I cleared my throat and shifted in my seat. “I couldn’t very well opt out, and we need a room big enough for everyone.”
“Meanwhile, the rest of us will share the other bedroom,” Dylan drawled.
“There’s a big couch in the living room area,” I mentioned. “You’re welcome to sleep there if you want.”
“Or on the balcony,” Hallie sang.
“Or on the roof!” Micah laughed, thinking it was a game. “Where else can he sleep?”
Lily popped a grape into her mouth. “In his butt.”
That was…an option too.
“And it’s soon,” Ash said, surprised. “First weekend in June.” He glanced my way, one part happiness and affection, one part amusement. “You made this reservation…when?”
Why was that important?
“You should focus on eating your breakfast,” I replied. “You all should. You need to get ready for school soon.”
No more birthday celebrations until tonight.
“Eeeeep!” Lily sat ramrod straight, eyes wide, and pointed toward the hallway. “It’s a cat! There’s a cat here! Look at the cat!”
We probably should’ve told her about the cat.
For the record, Paws had bolted back into hiding.
“You have to whisper, Lily!” Micah exclaimed. “You’re scaring him.”
“But it’s a cat!” Lily whipped around to face me, then Ash, then me again. “Do we have a cat now?”
Topic effectively changed.
CHAPTER 5
Ash Riley
Ipoked my head into Theo’s office. “Oi. Where’s James?”
