Annie smiles. “Hi Mazie.”
“Hi. You’re pretty.”
“Thank you, so are you.”
Mazie grabs my face with both of her hands and pulls me close, then whispers, “Did you bring me candy?”
“Did I bring you candy? Pshh.” I set her down and grab a sucker from my back pocket.
“It’s a rainbow!” She jumps up and down while I take the wrapper off. Drew walks just as I hand it to her. “Daddy! Guess what? Uncle Benny let me get the biggest sucker!”
He glares at me. “Yeah, I see. Seriously, how much does that thing weigh?”
“Only half a pound.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“No. It’sdelicious.” I rub the top of Mazie’s head. “Isn’t that right, princess?”
She takes a bite out of it and I flinch at the sound, worried for a second that she broke a tooth. The sugar crunches and she smiles a blue lipped smile. “So ’licious.”
“Wanna see my new dance?” She asks no one in particular and twirls in two circles, her curls getting stuck on the sucker residue by her mouth. She falls on her butt then hops up and does it again, then tugs on my arm. “Did you see?”
“I did. Good job, kiddo.”
“You can have more after dinner. Go put that on the kitchen counter and wash your hands, then see if Uncle Parker wants to play dress up,” he tells her.
“Okay, Daddy.”
“I’d normally make you say thank you,” Drew grumbles, “But your uncle doesn’t deserve manners when he brings you suckersthe size of your head, especially after I’ve repeatedly told him youdo notneed more sugar.”
We watch her go to the kitchen, and I bite back a laugh when she sneaks a lick before she puts the sucker on the counter. “Wait until you have kids, payback’s a bitch.”
The thought of kids before a couple weeks ago would have made me nauseous. But when my mind immediately goes to Annie holding a little blonde-haired baby,my baby, a wave of…elationcrashes into me.
“I’m Drew,” he sticks his hand out for Annie. “Good to meet you.”
“Same. She’s adorable.”
“Thanks.” He angles his head toward the kitchen. “You better get in there, Mom’s chomping at the bit to see Annie again.”
I smile down at her, “You ready for this?”
“I’ve wanted a family my whole life, Ben.”
“Well now you’ve got one,” Drew says.
And just like that, Annie is a Lawson. I’ll make if official soon.
Precautions.
Annie
“You can’t be serious.”
“I’m so serious.”
“I’m going to work, Ben.”
