Page 132 of I Loved You First

He sighed again. “You’re right.”

“I tend to be. It’s one of my superpowers.”

He sent her a weak smile. “I’m sorry again, Fi. For snapping at you. I was completely out of line…”

She shook her head. “No more apologizing. It’s over.”

“Okay,” he said as he tucked her hair behind her ear. “How are you feeling? How’s Baby?”

She stroked her fingers along his cheek, seeing easily enough that he was still very much shaken up. “We’re good, especially after I dropped Brady off with your mom. She hugged me within an inch of my life and peppered me with a million subtle questions.”

He chuckled. “I bet.”

“She wants us to come over for dinner Saturday night. She’s inviting my mom, and Grandpa will be there, too.”

He nodded. “That sounds like fun.”

“Absolutely.”

He smiled. “Do you really want to swim today?”

She nodded. “If you do. Summer won’t last forever.”

“Sure. But you should probably keep your eyes open when we get in the water. I have a feeling Lake Shark might make an appearance.”

She grinned. “Brady will be thrilled.”

thirty-five

“What do you think about this option?” Fiona asked, holding up one of the many dinosaur T-shirts that was part of Brady’s back-to-school wardrobe.

Brady casually kicked his legs as he sat on the edge of his bed next to Cam, dressed in his favorite Marvel pajamas for bedtime. “The T-Rex is better for my first day of big kid school.”

Fiona nodded. “The T-Rex is definitely a good choice.” She pulled the red and black short-sleeve shirt out of his drawer, along with pairs of denim and black athletic shorts. “Both of these would work with your T-Rex.”

“The black ones. That way, I can show Owen and Davis my new dinosaur underwear.”

“Uh, how about we don’t do that?” Cam piped up. “Underwear is private.”

“But they’re really cool, Dad. The velociraptors even glow in the dark.”

“That’s true. But your dinosaur socks are cool, too. I think Owen and Davis will like them for sure.”

Brady nodded. “Okay.”

Fiona set Brady’s outfit on his chair for the morning, struggling not to grin as she briefly met Cam’s gaze. “I think we’re officially all set for tomorrow. Your clothes are picked out. Your hair looks awesome⁠—”

Brady nodded as he ran his fingers through his fresh cut. “’Cause I went to the barber.”

She smiled, noting how much Cam and Brady looked alike after they both took a turn in Mo’s barber chair. “Your backpack is next to the front door. And I know what you want to be packed in your lunchbox.”

“Maybe I should have three chocolate chip cookies for my treat.”

Fiona wrinkled her nose. “That’s a lot of treats, buddy. Especially when you have recess right after lunch. You don’t want a sick tummy while you’re running around having fun.”

Brady sighed as his shoulders sagged. “Okay.”

“But you can have two cookies. And I’ll pick out the ones with the most chocolate chips.”