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Ariel leans forward to bring her hand down to mine. “Right here. You feel that?”
“Yes!” She lets out a small, excited squeal. I don’t have to instruct her any further. She pulls the end of the screwdriver off to flip it around so that it’s now a flathead.
Even though Vane had custom tools made for Ariel, her hands are still too little. If it were me, I’d just use a knife, but we’ll get to all that down the road. Right now, we’re learning the basics. Once she manages to pop off the panel, I hand her the wire.
“The lock is right here.” I tap the spot. It’s about five inches up.
“And I have to unhook it,” Ariel says before I can tell her.
“You have to remember the lock. We can’t see it. Picture it in your mind as if you’re looking through the door,” I encourage her as she tries to find the pull. “Now when-” I hear the click half a second before the alarm goes off. Ariel’s eyes go wide.
“Watch me.” This next part I’ll teach her later. She’s not at that level yet. I pull the door open. Ariel dives inside the car, scrambling to get into the passenger seat. “That wasn’t watching.” I laugh. I know the feeling. It can be a rush when you realize what you can do.
“I got excited.” She bounces up and down, watching me pop off another panel. The alarm clicks off. When it stops, Ariel lets out a squeal.
“Now what?” We both jerk our heads up to see Cass standing in front of her car.
“Uh-oh. We’re busted.”
“It’s a getaway car. We’d take off.”
“Yeah!” Ariel bounces up and down.
“Are you two done with your fun?” She arches one of her perfect brows at me.
“Are we done, Mommy?”
“We’re never done,” I tell her.
She tries to make a wicked face, pulling her brows together, her nose scrunching up. But all that makes me want to do is kiss her all over her face. I don’t get a chance. Before I know it, the passenger door swings open.
Vane reaches in and starts tickling her. “Surrender!” he tells her.
“Never!” she says through giggles. Tears form in my eyes as I watch them together. I’ll never get tired of seeing them like this. I love that Ariel gets to grow up in a happy home that’s filled with love. It’s something I never had.
“That’s my girl.” He kisses her on the cheek. “Why don’t you go with Cass to get some ice cream?”
“Rewarding bad behavior?” Cass tsks playfully.
“Bad? I nailed it. Didn’t I, Mommy?” She looks so damn proud of herself. And she should be.
“You sure did.” I give her a wink. She runs over and takes Cass’s outstretched hand.
Cass has always been like an aunt to her. The same way Magic and Rebel have. It warms my heart to think how we’ve made our own little makeshift family.
“How’d she do?” Vane asks as he wraps his arms around me from behind.
“One thing is for sure: She’s gonna give us a run for our money someday.” I can feel his smile against my neck.
“Like mother, like daughter.” Vane rubs his hand across my small baby bump.
“You’re about to have another girl.”
“Good.” He lifts me off my feet, carrying me over to one of the workbenches in the warehouse. “The hell?” he laughs when Felix comes floating by. He lets out a loud meow.
“We made the Roomba invisible this morning.” Felix loves to ride it around. He can even turn it on himself.
“Of course you did.” Vane sets me down on the table. His hand goes back to my stomach.
