Maddy’s face lights up in excitement. “Really?”
“Yeah. Why not?” I say, trying to be casual about the entire thing like I didn’t just throw a fit about how little clothing covered her body.
Maddy throws herself at me, wrapping her arms around my middle like she used to when she was little. “You’re the best, Dad,” she mumbles into my T-shirt.
Before I have a chance to hug her back, she disentangles herself from me and takes off back into the dressing room.
“Well done,” Tate says as she releases the grip on my arm.
“That was bullshit.”
Tate moves in front of me and crosses her arms in the same way Maddy did. She’s about to throw attitude at me. It’s the universal sign to let me know I’m about to get a piece of her mind, no matter how much I don’t want it. “What’s bullshit?”
“You helped her railroad me into that outfit that has no business being on a girl her age.”
“Wake up, Wylder. This isn’t the 1800s. Women show skin.”
“Women,” I repeat, reminding her of the fact that Maddy isn’t a woman. She’s a girl, and a young one at that.
Tate rolls her eyes and scoffs. “Don’t be a prude. Maddy looked beautiful in it.”
“That’s the problem.”
“You’re going to have to come to terms with the fact that she’s growing up. You can’t stop it, but you can make her feel safe to come to you when shit gets hard. If you throw a man-fit every time, she’s not going to tell you anything. You want to be left out in the cold?”
“Did your dad ever throw a man-fit?”
“A few times, but thank goodness Tilly was around to make sure he understood what was important.”
“And that’s what you’re doing for me now?”
She nods. “Someone has to make you get your head out of your ass.”
I jerk my head back, surprised at her sassiness, and kind of liking it too. “You have a mouth on you.”
“You have no idea.” She smiles.
I resist the urge to wrap my hand around that ponytail again and silence her with a kiss. “So, I’m just supposed to say nothing?”
“No. You tell her where she can and can’t wear it, which you did, and leave it at that.”
“And if her tits are showing?” I raise an eyebrow. This time, it was her stomach, but soon, she’ll be wanting to show a lot more skin.
“How much tit are we talking?”
“Any amount of tit is too much tit.”
Tate shakes her head and makes a noise. I guess she doesn’t like my answer, and I already know I’m going to get an earful. “You’re about to go through a lot of pain, Wylder. You might want to invest in some stress balls or a lot of headache medicine, because I don’t think you’re prepared for her to get boobs.”
I scrub my hand across my face and groan. “I’m not ready. Is anyone ready to see their little girl grow up?”
“I don’t think you’ll ever be ready, but at some point, you have to realize that you’ve done everything you can, and you’ve taught her well enough that she’ll do the right thing. Did you ever teach her any self-defense?”
“No. Shit.”
“We have to change that. You need to teach both girls how to defend themselves if shit goes down, because at some point in their life, it’s gonna happen.”
“You had shit happen to you?”
