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“What’s that look for?” My voice is gruff.
“You’re just… daddying.”
“Daddying?” I mull that explanation over. “Is that a verb?”
Her shoulder rises in a noncommittal shrug. “If it wasn’t before, it is now.”
“Can you use it in a sentence?”
Harper taps her lips. “Daddying was made for you.”
I chuckle and scrub over my mouth. “You better remember this when I’m done daddying in about twenty minutes.”
Sydney claps, yanking our concentration back where it belongs. She tugs on the lopsided bun to straighten it somewhat. “See? I look ah-mazing!”
Harper and I nod in unison as my daughter inspects her reflection. She’s the one to speak. “Couldn’t have done better if I tried.”
I grunt. “No need to blow smoke up my rear.”
Syd’s features crease in a confused grimace. “Why would Harpy blow in your… where?”
“Never mind.” I swat at the phrase better left unexplained. “Just adult talk.”
She sticks out her tongue. “Booooooring.”
Harper is busy smothering a smile. “And you thought this would be complicated.”
“Only if you hadn’t agreed to be ours.” Not just mine. I’m in a package deal with my daughter.
“Uh-huh.” Her snarky brow calls me on my shit, as usual.
“I’ve learned from my mistakes.”
Something sparkles in her gaze. “That reminds me, the three of us need to take a selfie.”
That piques my little girl’s interest. She’s a huge fan of seeing herself on the screen. “For what?”
“An update.” Harper opens her locket and taps on the empty side.
“Oh, oh!” Syd bounces on her toes. “We can take lotsa pictures at the resort. Right, Daddy?”
“Absolutely.”
Harper glances between us. “The resort?”
“With the water slides by the Mall of America,” Sydney explains.
“How fun. When are you going there?”
“We’re going,” I correct her. “Consider this your invitation to all events and activities from this point forward.”
“Noted,” she murmurs. “Did you already choose a date? I’ll check my schedule.”
“It’s flexible, but sometime this week during Syd’s break.”
Her head bobs in acknowledgment. “I can be there.”
“Yippppeeeee!” Sydney bolts toward her, crashing into her legs for a hug. “You’re totally gonna be my real mom. I can feel it in my feelings.”
