A happy sigh escapes her. “I’m all in too, Marcus. I’ve been all in on you since day one. I mean, I guess we can tell them.”
“You guess?” I ask her.
“Okay, fine, we can tell them. Should we wait and go downstairs until they’re awake?”
I shake my head. “They’re already awake.”
Harper looks at the clock on my bedside table. “It’s only seven.”
“And I promised them pancakes. They’re up. Besides, I heard the TV on downstairs.” Harper throws the comforter back and I don’t hide the way I watch her as she covers her gorgeous body in a pair of yoga pants and one of my sweatshirts. “Now get that cute ass of yours downstairs.”
As soon as my bottom foot hits the first floor, I take Harper’s hand and give it a squeeze. I know she’s anxious about telling the girls about us, but I know they’ll love it. Sam and Sadie love their nanny, and I know they’ll love Harper just as much. They need a strong, female influence in their life. I know Harper will be it for them, and she’ll love being there for them.
“Harper.” Sam spots her right away and jumps off the couch to give her a hug. “Why are you over so early?”
The tent is abandoned as each girl sits in their spot on the couch with, no surprise, Bluey on TV.
“I heard all about this pancake breakfast, so I had to come over for it.”
Sadie comes over to give Harper a hug too. “Do you have a bad joke to tell?”
Harper squats down on their level. “It’s not Sunday. I thought bad jokes were only for Sundays.”
Both girls shake their heads. “We have two really good jokes to tell.”
“I can’t wait to hear them.” Harper is beaming at them. “I have one too.”
“Yes.” Sadie pumps her fist.
“Before breakfast, Harper and I have something to tell you,” I say.
“Can we finish this episode?” Sam asks.
I grab the remote from the end table and pause it. “You’ve seen it a hundred times. We can watch it after breakfast.”
Sadie eyes me, assessing me. Girl is too smart for her own good. “If we listen really good, can we both have chocolate chips then?”
Why is everything always a bargaining chip with kids?
“You can both have chocolate chips if you listen well,” Harper answers for me.
“Hey, aren’t I supposed to make that decision?”
Harper stands back up, resting her hands on her hips. “What, like you were going to say no to them?”
The girls giggle as they each take their seat on the couch. “Hurry up because I’m hungry,” Sadie says.
“Well, you know how Harper and I have been spending time together?” I ask them.
“Yeah.” Sadie nods.
“Harper and I really like each other, so we’re dating.”
“Do you loooove each other?” Sam giggles.
Sadie laughs next to her. “Eww. Do you kiss?”
“Christ,” I mutter to myself, scrubbing a hand down my face. “Where did you learn about that?”
