“Looks like we’ll be having instant, then.”
I head to the bag of supplies Blake and I bought, digging out the coffee packets we always bring with us.
I throw one at him and get a grateful smile in return before he swivels to fill the kettle with water. “You want one too?”
“Yeah, please.” I rub Kendall’s back as she uses my neck to scratch the tip of her nose.
“Ty and Dani should be landing soon.” Zander checks the clock on the wall. “Then it’s just two short internal flights until they get here.” Shaking his head, he sighs. “What a crapfest of a Valentine’s Day, right?”
“Yeah. The joys of travel.” I raise my eyebrows, remembering the time Blake and I got stuck for sixteen hours in a Canadian airport, trapped by a blizzard. It was kind of an adventure, I guess. Definitely makes for a great story. But that was before we had kids. The thought of going through that with a six-month-old… they’re gonna be so shattered when they finally get here.
Zander sighs again, pouring boiling water into two mugs. I watch his back, his muscles all tense, and when he turns to pass me my coffee, a muscle in his jaw is working overtime.
“Brah, you okay?”
His right shoulder hitches and he glances at Kendall, who seems to be drifting back to sleep on my shoulder. I take a careful sip of my coffee and silently tell Zander to open up a little.
He slumps back against the counter, and after three long sips of coffee, he finally tells me, “Zoey’s still not speaking to me. I went to check on her last night, and she pretended to be asleep. It’s gonna be a loooong day if she doesn’t get over this.”
“You gonna give her back her phone?”
“Eventually.” He nods. “I wanted to give it back to her last night before she went up to bed. I was hoping the flight would be enough to bring her around, but nope. She still hasn’t apologized for what she said to Sienna, and until she does that, she’s notgetting her phone.” He runs a hand through his hair. “I can’t believe she spoke to her that way.”
I nod. “It was pretty harsh, but I’m guessing she didn’t mean to say it. She’s fourteen, has this big crush on a guy, and her parents are warning her away from him. She probably felt completely misunderstood and was just lashing out to shut you guys up.”
“Yeah, well, it worked.” Zander frowns. “Sienna barely said a peep on the flight here. She looked so wounded, it was killing me.” He taps his finger on the side of his mug. “And I could tell Zoey regretted it the second the words were out of her mouth. The look on her face…” He shakes his head again. “But she didn’t apologize, and I wasn’t about to let her get away with it. Nobody’s allowed to make my wife feel like shit.”
My lips curl at the corners. “It’s okay to teach your children the importance of respect, man. Don’t feel bad about that. You’re training her for the future. I know it sucks to be the bad cop, but you’re actually doing her a favor.” I lean my cheek on Kendall’s head again and murmur, “I have to remind myself of that all the time. Because I’m always in that role.”
“Really?” Zander’s eyebrows dip.
“Always.” I roll my eyes, and as if to prove my point, Kendall—who obviously wasn’t sleeping—sits up and looks at me.
“Hungy, Daddy.”
“Okay.” I rest my hand on her tummy. “How we gonna fill this belly, then? Do you want cereal or toast? I can make eggs on toast or French toast or?—”
“Pop-Tart!” She bounces in my arms.
“No way.” I laugh, shaking my head. “You are not eating that stuff. There’s way too much sugar in it.”
“Froot Loops?”
I keep shaking my head, and her frown gets a little deeper.
“Cocoa Puffs.”
“Rice Krispies,” I counter, and her face bunches with disgust.
“Cocoa Puffs!”
“Not happening.”
With a huff, she rests her hand on my cheek and puts on her sweetest voice. “Cocoa Puffs. Pleeeeeeease, Daddy.”
I give her a sad smile and shake my head. “There’s lots of sugar planned for later in the day, I think. So, let’s start healthy, okay?”
Her lips pull into a deep pout. “Mommy would let me.”
