Page 83 of Tides and Tidings

“You have no idea.” I walked over and placed a kiss on the top of her head. “You know you’ll always be my number one lady, right?”

She looked at me with skepticism all over her face. “Yeah.”

“Cool.” I pinched her little cheeks. “Are you going to look at your book while Birdie is in the shower?”

She nodded, eyes locked on the colorful pages.

“I’ll see you downstairs.”

I popped into the bathroom to get changed into my matching pajamas.

“No peeking!” Blythe called from the shower.

The last thing I had to do was get the snacks ready. As soon as Blythe suggested we get our tree and decorate it, I knew I wanted to make a fort for us tonight. Before we left, I texted my mom and asked if she could run to the store and get some things for tonight. The woman sought every opportunity to leave the house and talk to people, so it was an easy yes.

Right around the time the pizza showed up, my mom dropped the snacks off and was gone before Blythe or Wren saw her. I threw the bag of goodies in a coat closet, and Blythe was none-the-wiser.

As I dumped the freshly popped popcorn into the bowl, I heard a loud squeal from upstairs. “Birdie!”

“We match!” They said in unison before some uncontrollable giggles.

I placed the final bowls of snacks on top of the blankets. After I gave everything a once-over, everything looked perfect. I flicked off the lights and let the light from the tree illuminate the space.

Wren bounded down the stairs and ran to the kitchen to find me. “Daddy, Birdie, and I match!”

She ran into the living room, her eyes went wide, and her mouth hung open, releasing a squeak. “What are you wearing?”

“I match you! Do they look okay?”

Wren nodded in between giggles.

Blythe

Wren doubled over in laughter. “This is so cool!”

Charlie had a massive silly grin on his face and it was the happiest I had ever seen him.

When we met, if you had told me that the grumpy ass man who picked me up from the airport would be standing here in lime green pajamas with presents all over them, I would’ve laughed at you because there was no way.

The man standing in front of me was thriving, thanks to a good kick in the ass from yours truly.

I looked behind him and noticed the snacks and pillows on the floor. I nodded towards it. “What’s up?”

“It’s a fort… kind of.”

A smile tugged at my lips. “Did you just set this up?”

He raised a brow seductively and nodded.

This was the most incredible surprise. I’ve seen friends from high school share photos of their families doing this.

“You said you didn’t know where my pillows were.” Wren was unsure as to why her pillows were on the floor.

Charlie stepped to the side, exposing the pillows and blanket. “We’re going to cuddle up on the floor and watch whatever movie you’d like.”

Excitement flooded her eyes. “Really?”

She ran over to the pile of blankets and pillows and threw herself down in the middle. She wrapped herself up in her blankets and lounged against the pillows. “Today is the best day ever.”