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What a shit.
With the darkening sky, my beautiful, sweet nine-year-old confidently pranced up the stage, wearing a black leotard with fringe and rhinestone sparkles all over it. She was wearing heavy makeup I didn’t love and was holding a long black baton.
I pinched the bridge of my nose. On the beat drop, Penny lit the ends of the baton onactual fire, and I nearly had a stroke.
Michael shot to his feet, both fists in the air, and shouted, “Hell yeah!”
The crowd followed suit and was enamored with how graceful and lively she was as she twirled her flaming death stick and leaped across the stage.
Lark clapped and cheered while I was freaking the fuck out.
Finally, the song came to a close, and the entire crowd was on their feet and screaming for my little girl. Her smile was a mile wide, and she extinguished her baton with a sassy hand on her hip and a wink.
She’s grounded for a year.
I glared down at my beautiful wife, and she scrunched her nose at me and laughed. Michael cheered beside me.
“Did you know about this?” I asked him.
He laughed. “No way, but that wasawesome!”
“Don’t worry.” Lark swatted the air between us. “Lee was right there the whole time with a fire extinguisher. It was the only way the stick-in-the-mud pageant director would allow it. If you ask me, the only issue was that the director knew his niece wouldn’t win anyway. Penny nailed it!”
I couldn’t deny the love and pride Lark held for Penny. They were inseparable, and despite the fact she was her stepmother, Penny loved her fiercely.
“Is that supposed to make me feelbetter?” I rolled my eyes. Apparently I was the only one who didn’t believe the Little Miss Blueberry title was worth lighting oneself on fire for.
I looked down at my gorgeous wife and sighed. I could never manage to stay annoyed with her for long, especially when she saw the good in just about everything around us.
* * *
Later that night,we celebrated Pickle’sepic winwith pizza and ice cream at home. Aunt Tootie and my brothers were there to celebrate with us. We’d moved out of Highfield House and into a sprawling ranch of our own. It was on the outskirts of Outtatowner and was what Lark had called a “cozy little coastal ranch.” At more than three thousand square feet, she and I had very different definitions ofcozy, but I’d learned long ago that Lark’s sunshine and optimism were qualities I could never snuff out. Not that I wanted to—my wife brought happiness to every corner of my life.
If anyone had told me a wanderer would become Outtatowner’s golden girl, I could have guessed that would be Lark. After I fired her as my assistant and promoted her to wife, I told her she didn’t have to work if she didn’t want to. I’d always take care of her.
She’d laughed in my face.
Turned out Lark had a knack for organizing chaos, so while she may be a terrible waitress, she was a damn good teacher. She started taking classes at MMU and has been working on her teaching degree while still fielding the occasional call from LA. Her contacts there assured her if she ever thought about returning to acting, they’d answer her call. I’d mentioned it once, wanting to make sure that Lark knew I’d support her in whatever direction she wanted to go in life. If that meant LA, we’d figure it out. She assured me, however, that once she experienced it for herself, she knew that life wasn’t truly what she wanted.
Lark had the heart of a teacher.
“You give that thing an eviction notice yet?” Duke passed Lark with Three-Legged Ed sniffing at his feet.
Lark sighed and rubbed her belly. “Oh yeah. We’re ready. Wyatt’s planning his football training already.”
I walked past and dropped a kiss on the top of her head, and she closed her eyes to hum at me. “Never too early.”
Lark made a firm line with her mouth, and her voice dropped low to mock me. “Get those kids good and ready for a tough season.”
After all this time, her ribbing still made me laugh. I shot her a halfhearted scowl, followed by a wink.
Lee cleared his throat from the doorway to the living room. “Excuse me, may I have your attention?” He swooped his arm wide. “May I present Little Miss Blueberry herself, Penny ‘Rat Face’ Sullivan!”
We burst out laughing as Penny leaped into the kitchen with her arms spread wide. We all clapped and hollered. After a graceful bow, she slapped Lee in the arm. “You’re the worst.”
He stuck his tongue out at her and chased her around the room as he tried to tickle her. “My name is Pickle!” she squealed at a decibel not meant for human ears.
As the chaos swirled around us, I looked across the room at Lark.I love you,I mouthed.
She grinned, her hazel eyes dancing with affection.I love you more.
Coming home to Michigan was the best decision I had ever made. Everything in my world had clicked into place the moment I’d locked eyes with Lark Butler. She’d tipped my whole world, somehow set it right side up, and all it had taken wasone look.
* * *
