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Some parents stop to talk to Annabelle before they leave the studio, while others make their way over to Everly. It’s easy to see why. There’s something about her that’s magnetic, like she’s the sun and everyone else is lucky to orbit around her.
But for some reason, instead of focusing on any of them, her mischievous eyes find mine and hold... It’s just for a moment before they drop down to Kerrigan and soften as a small smile tugs at her lips. I pick Kerrigan up and sit her on my hip and turn to Annabelle. “Say goodbye to Mrs. Sinclair, baby.”
“Bye,” barely leaves her lips before she tucks her face into my neck to hide.
“Bye, sweet girl. I’ll see you next week,” Annabelle tells her with her own mischievous look that reminds me of her daughter.
“You ready for your cookie?” I ask.
“And cocoa?” Kerrigan asks, perking up.
“Can’t have cookies without cocoa, now can you?” Everly adds as she moves next to us. “Are you going to Sweet Temptations?”
“Yeah. That was our deal. Kerrigan would try something new, and then we’d get cookies after.” I wonder if bribery makes me a shit dad.
“I used to bribe the girls with cupcakes all the time,” Annabelle tells me, as if reading my mind. “It was the only way to get them to do anything for years.” she laughs softly. “Guess some things never change.”
“I blame you for my sweet tooth.” Everly smiles back at her mother, who simply shrugs in her defense.
Kerrigan looks curiously from Everly to Annabelle. “Cupcakes?”
“Oh, yes.” Annabelle nods. “The owner is one of my very best friends, and she makes the most delicious cupcakes in all of Kroydon Hills.” Then she leans in closer and lowers her voice. “You can ask to taste them too.”
Kerrigan’s eyes grow wide with excitement before they turn to me. “Can we, Daddy?”
“Everly,” her mother says. “Why don’t you go with them and show Kerrigan what your favorite cupcake is.”
“Mom,” Everly cuts her mother off, but Annabelle has already planted the seed, and I swear to God, I think she just winked at me too.
Kerrigan cups her hands around my ear. “Can she come wif us, please?”
Everly flushes because for one of the first times ever, Kerrigan fails at being quiet.
I kiss my daughter’s cheek and flash a smile at her pretty dance teacher. “What do you say, Miss Everly? Do you have time for a cupcake?”
She purses her lips, and her dimples pop deep in her cheeks. “How could I possibly say no?” She throws a sarcastic grin over at her mother before bringing her eyes back to mine. “Let me just go grab my dance bag. I’ll be right back.”
I watch her disappear down a hall, then yank my head back when a delicate hand lands on my arm. “You’ve met my daughter before, haven’t you, Mr. Wilder?”
“I have. We met once over the summer,” I admit, a little nervous that she’ll ask more.
“She’s not the easiest person to get to know, but she has the biggest heart of all my children.”
I think about the few conversations Everly and I have had since July and agree with her mom. Definitely not the easiest person to get to know. The big heart is yet to be determined, but I could see it being true. Or maybe, that’s just me wanting to see it.
Everly comes back out with sweatpants covering her legs and a bag thrown over her shoulder. She drops a kiss on her mom’s cheek. “What time is dinner tonight?”
“Be at the house by six.”
Everly nods then looks at Kerrigan, not me. “Are you ready for the best cupcake you’ve ever had?”
Kerrigan’s head bobs up and down, her messy bun smacking me in the face in the process. I drop her down to her feet and take her hand in mine, then follow Everly through the door.
Ten minutes later, we’re sitting at a table inside Sweet Temptations, a bakery I’ve passed by for years but never been inside before. A hot chocolate with whip cream as big asKerrigan’s head is in front of her, beside one giant chocolate chip cookie and a pink strawberry shortcake cupcake, topped with a chocolate dipped strawberry. Her little eyes are lit up like the Fourth of July as she stares at her mountain of sugar, trying to decide where to start.
When the sugar rush comes crashing down later, there’ll be hell to pay, but I’ll deal with that when it happens because her smile is everything in this moment.
As if sensing Kerrigan needs help, Everly swipes her finger through her matching strawberry-filled frosting then sucks it between her lips and moans.
