Page 32 of York

“Yep. Let me find my phone,” I said.

I was forever losing it now. I used to keep it close in case I needed to call the police. I didn’t need it like that anymore.

I hit the call button and handed her the phone.

“What’s the camera button do?” she asked. But before I could explain, she’d hit it. And now she was video calling York.

He answered on the third ring, his handsome face filling the screen.

“Hey, princess,” he said, making Denny beam at him.

“Hi, Daddy.” I saw the wonder fill his eyes at that title. I still felt it on occasion when Denali said it. “When can I see you again?” she asked. Then, before York could answer, she gasped. “Is that a pool?”

Uh-oh.

I knew where this was going.

“Yeah,” York, clueless, said, pulling the phone further away from his body so she could see it better.

“Mama, Daddy has a pool!”

“I see that.”

“Can I swim in it?”

“Can you swim?”

“She cannot,” I said.

“But I have swimmies! Right, Mama?”

“She does have swimmies.”

“Maybe you and your mom can come over and play in the pool sometime.”

“Today?” Denali asked.

I knew there was no way he was going to say no when she was already so excited. I was going to need to dig out her swimsuit and swimmies.

“I think we need to ask your mom if—”

“I’m already mentally trying to locate her swimmies,” I said.

“There are some around here,” he said, making my brows pinch. Why did he have swimmies at his house? Did he have other kids? Or just nieces and nephews?

“And tubes?” Denali asked.

“Those too. Have a giant flamingo one.”

I interrupted Denny before she could go off on questions about tubes. “What time would be good for you?”

“Anytime,” he said. “I’ll be here.”

“Okay. I’ll just get Denny suited up and sun-blocked and we’ll be over.”

It was the middle of the week.

He was home sitting around the pool and made it clear he could do so all day.