Somehow, I’d have preferred the birds and the bees talk.
“I can tell from your expression you don’t mean the O’Donnellys.”
She shook her head. “Not just them.”
“What do you mean?”
“I want yours, Mom’s, and… mine and Alessa’s.” She peeped at me. “I want to know more about them.”
“Are you sure? You might not like what you find out,” I warned gently.
“Forewarned is forearmed. Star says that all the time.”
“She does.” Damn, my wonderful woman. “So, this is you doing that?”
Kat nodded.
I stopped binding the sugar cookie dough together and held out my hand. “We’ll work on it together.”
She squeezed my fingers. “We won’t tell Mom?”
“Well, I will because forewarnedisforearmed,” I said dryly, “and you know we don’t keep secrets from each other intentionally. But I’ll ask her not to bring it up with you if you don’t want her to.”
In a tiny voice, she whispered, “I don’t want her to.”
I rubbed her shoulder. “I understand, cupcake.”
When she tunneled her arms around my waist, my lips quirked into a smile and I gently hugged her back.
“What the fuck happened to my kitchen?!”
Both of us jumped at Star’s shriek, but ever the little shit, her nose still buried in my sweater, Kat chimed in, “That’s ten bucks, please, Mom!”
THIRTEEN
TEXT CHAT
Camille: I’m so proud of you, @Inessa
Inessa: For dinner?
Camille: YES
Savannah: Honestly, Nessie, well done. I’m proud as well
Aela: Me too
Star: Me three!! That was sheer poetry in motion. Oscar Wilde couldn’t have done better himself
Inessa: I didn’t do anything. It was all Eoghan, lol
Aoife: What happened?! What are you talking about?
Star: Dinner with the bat out of hell
Aoife: *snorts*
Aoife: Didn’t go well?
