She points up and down her body. “You think?”
Stone rubs the back of his head sheepishly. “Once again, my apologies.”
Natalie cocks an eye at her brother. “I don’t think Pane knows. He hasn’t mentioned it to me. Have you told him?”
Stone folds his arms and gives her his best scrupulous look. “Would you like to meet a lambicorn?”
Her suspicion dissolves like it’s been washed away in the shower. “Did you saylambicorn?”
“I sure did.”
“Yes!” She throws her arms out wide. “Where is she?”
“It’s a he, and his name is Hercules.” Stone turns toward the doggy bed. “Come on, Hercules. Meet my kid sister.”
As soon as the lamb gets up, Natalie squeals and charges toward him, throwing her arms around his neck.
“I love you, Hercules!” she yells.
Stone and I exchange a look. His mouth tips into a lopsided grin that makes my heart seize every time I see it, and for a single, crystallinemoment, the perfection that is this tiny little capsule of our lives melts, because real life just entered, butting its head into our soap bubble and popping it.
I rise from the table. “Natalie, would you like to get some ice cream?”
She stops nuzzling Hercules’s neck and turns to me. She grins. “Can the lambicorn come?”
I clasp my hands together and beam. “Absolutely.”
Chapter 34
Stone
Natalie reminds me of a gleeful sprite ready to play a prank on anyone at any time—in the best possible way, of course.
She leads Hercules on his leash, guiding him as we walk down the street to the ice cream shop. The evening is cool, so I pull off my jacket and place it around Coco’s shoulders before taking her hand and squeezing it.
At the ice cream parlor, Coco makes perfect small talk with my sister, asking if she has a sweetie.
Natalie replies, with all the seriousness of an alligator eyeing its prey, “No. All the boys in my class are dildos. What else would you expect from ten-year-olds?”
My eyes pop open. “What? And where did you learn that word, young lady?”
“Let’s calm down. Don’t start acting like Pane and being all protective. I know about dildos. My old nanny used to talk about them in her book club.”
Coco bites her bottom lip, her eyes shining with laughter. “Well, there you have it. And I agree with you, Natalie, boys your age are dildos.”
“Right?” My sister grins wide at me. “I like her. She’s got common sense, and she’s pretty, too.”
Coco’s ears turn red, and I embrace the hard thumps as my heart engages in a full-on rock concert against my ribs.
This woman is wrecking me bit by bit, day by day, minute by minute.
As she and Natalie engage in a back-and-forth about school and girl stuff, my heart is full. There’s no greater happiness than this moment right here.
A little while later, Natalie’s stuffed from eating a large bowl of homemade strawberry pretzel salad ice cream—yes, they make it in ice cream flavor. Don’t worry, I bought a half gallon to take home.
Once my sister’s finished every last lick, she leans back and groans. “I’m going to be sick.”
“Not until we get home.”
