I smile, loving my girls.
“We’re not fighting. Tate set Dad straight,” Maddy tells Hazel.
That statement makes me shake my head. Maddy’s not wrong. She did put me in my place.
“You’re the best, Tate,” Hazel says.
“Yeah, she is,” Maddy adds.
“You girls are too much. You’re the best.”
“I’m hungry,” Hazel whines, and I look at my watch.
It’s only been two hours since we had breakfast. I don’t know how they could be hungry, but they always are.
“Me too,” Maddy says.
“Where should we go for lunch?” Tate asks.
“Somewhere different. Somewhere cool,” Maddy tells her.
“Chinatown?” Tate asks.
“What’s that?” Hazel replies.
“I’ve never been there,” Maddy states.
“That settles it. We’re going to have the best Chinese food you’ve ever had.”
“Yay,” Hazel cheers.
“I’ll be outside waiting with your dad. Take your time finishing up, and then we’ll go,” Tate says before she walks out of the dressing room and stops beside me. “You hear all that?”
“Yeah.”
She places her small hand on my shoulder and looks down at me. “You’re doing better, Wylder. I hope you like Chinese because your girls are excited.”
“Are you excited?” I ask, peering up at her and itching to pull her into my lap.
“This is the best day I’ve had in a long time, so the answer’s yes. You?”
I smile up at the woman who makes everything feel easy. “I can’t remember a better one,” I admit.
“There’s plenty good still to come, Wylder,” she tells me, smiling at me in a way that makes me believe every word of that statement.
CHAPTER10
TATE
“What’s bean curd?”Hazel makes a face as she stares at the dish the waitress placed on the table. “It doesn’t look good.”
“It’s tofu,” I tell her and reach for the spoon. “It’s really delicious and good for you.”
I look up, catching Wylder’s look of absolute disgust. “What the hell is tofu?”
“Bean curd,” I say, getting a giggle out of Hazel and Maddy.
“It looks like the dirty sponge in our sink.” Wylder’s skin looks a bit green.
