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After watching some TV to try to get my mind off of McKinley, I decide I should get some sleep because tomorrow my mom is bringing the girls home after breakfast. We are going to spend the day at the beach, which luckily for me is right out my door.
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I climb into bed and close my eyes. Beautiful gray eyes haunt my dreams all night.
“Daddy, look at my sandcastle.”
As if I haven’t been watching them like a hawk, I pretend I’m seeing it for the first time.
“Dawn that is amazing. Great job sweetie.” Watching the girls play in the sand and water all day has been great. I love spending time with them like this. Just the three of us, enjoying life. “Five more minutes girls, then we are going to head back up to the house for some hotdogs.”
They both yell how excited they are and rush to finish what they are doing.
After we get back to the house, I bathe the girls, laughing when I feel like they’ve brought back half the beach with them. We are now sitting on the back deck eating our dinner of hotdogs and macaroni and cheese. “What do you girls want to do tomorrow?”
Tiffany smiles at me as she bounces in her seat. “I, I, I, umm, I wanna swim with Aunt Kallwee.”
I chuckle at the way she says her name and look toward Dawn.
“I want to swim with Aunt Kallie too, but I want to go shopping first.”
A thing every father dreads hearing from his daughters, shopping. I’m not good at it and honestly, I don’t really like doing it. Even though they are so little, they like to spend hours in the mall. I’m the kind of person who knows what I’m going for, gets it, and leaves. Not these two. They want to look in all their favorite stores. Some are for clothes, some for toys, and even shoes. I dread it, but for my girls, I’ll suck it up. Unless of course, Kallie wants to go.
“You want to go shopping with me or Aunt Kallie?”
“I don’t care, Dawn says, finishing off her dinner.
“Well, I love my girls, but I know you like shopping with Aunt Kallie. I’ll give her a call after dinner and see what her plans are. Sound good?”
They both bounce around in their seats and I smile just taking in their excitement.
After I finally get them to bed, I sit down on the couch and pick up my phone to call Kallie.
It rings a few times and before she answers. “Hey Braden, what’s up?”
“Hey. The girls want to go shopping tomorrow and then swimming at Jax’s pool. You free to take them shopping and I’ll BBQ for you?”
I know she’s busy, but I’m hoping tomorrow she can swing it.
“Luckily for you, my model is sitting next to me and won’t mind if I put it off.”
She giggles and I hear Jax telling her to get off the phone.
“You are the best sister and aunt in the world. I’ll bring them to you around noon and head over to Jax’s. Check with him and see if he wants to hang out while you are out shopping.” She’s quiet for a minute and I look at my phone to see if I lost her. “Kallie?”
“Umm, oh yes that’s perfect. I’ll see you then. Night.”
She hangs up and I toss my phone on the couch because an image of what was happening on the other end creeps into my head.
We are on our way to Kallie’s and the girls are jumping out of their skin. They are so excited to go shopping. I owe Kallie for this one.
As always once I park, I go over the rules of how I expect them to act. Agreeing with huge smiles on their beautiful faces. I chuckle and help them out of the truck. They are racing up the stairs, Dawn much further ahead of Tiffany, and it makes me miss the days when they would hold my hand. They are getting so big, and it makes me realize how fast time actually goes.
They reach Kallie’s door and I yell, “Knock and wait for Aunt Kallie to let you in.” Who the hell knows what is going on in the apartment? Not a conversation I’m ready to have with the girls.
“Daddy, hurry,” Tiffany calls back to me since I’m a few steps behind.
Kallie opens the door, and the girls scream with excitement.
