Dani's bike is at the end of the driveway, and I glare at it, wishing I could get my hands on it to stash it so far out of Dani's reach that she couldn't find it without a twenty-year growth spurt. "What happened?"
Lindsey looks almost as wide-eyed and shaken as Dani does. I harden myself to the regret and upset I see in her pale face and focus on getting answers.
"I-I drifted off. She was riding under the carport, and—I drifted off. It's my fault."
"Dani?" I barely recognize my own voice, and somehow I force myself to take a breath and soften my tone. "Baby girl, what happened?"
"You should sit down," Lindsey says. "We should all sit down."
I wonder if the excitement and rush has made her dizzy, so I jerk my chin toward the camp chairs under the shade. Lindsey heads that way, still carrying Dani. They slide into one of them, and I brace myself for pain as I hop like a drunk kangaroo the three steps it takes to collapse into a chair next to them. "Talk to me. Now."
"I wanted to go with them," Dani says in her little-girl voice. "I wanted to show Livvy that I got my training wheels off and could go to the pier with them now."
"Kace, I'm so sorry," Lindsey says, looking pale and remorseful.
Her eyes sparkle with a sheen of tears, and I see the way her lips tremble with the effort it takes to hold back her emotions.
"I told Dani she could ride under the carport for ten minutes. I-I was sitting right here. I can't believe I fell asleep."
"She knows the rules," I say, my gaze locking on Dani once more. Dani looks rightfully remorseful, even though she's taken fifty years off my life. "Don't you, Dani? What's the rule? Say it."
"No riding in the street unless you're with me."
"Or what happens?"
Dani lets out a sob. "I l-lose my bike. I'm sorry, Daddy! Please don't take it!"
"No, sorry isn't going to cut it. You were almost hit by a car. We could be on our way to a hospital right now. Rules are rules for a reason, and you broke the rules. No bike for two weeks."
"Nooo!"
"Go to your room and stay there until dinner."
"But Lindsey said?—"
"No, no, no. Don't you even go there. Lindsey said you could ride right here in front of her. You disobeyed her, too. You want me to punish you for that as well?"
Dani shakes her head, and the tears keep flowing, but I don't allow myself to soften. I've been on too many runs with kids involved in vehicle accidents, and my daughter was almost a statistic. She can cry all she wants. This is something I need her to get into her head and remember from now on. "Room. Now. Go."
Dani sobs as she scrambles off Lindsey's lap and runs for the door. Dani swings the door shut behind her, but we can still hear her cries as she runs through the house to her room.
"Kace…I am so sorry."
It's not Lindsey's fault my kid took it upon herself to ignore the rules but as her babysitter? "If you can't stay awake and keep an eye on her, it's a problem."
"I know. I won't let it happen again."
It's a nice sentiment but realistically? "You're growing a human. I'm not sure you're able to promise that."
I hate the defeat I see in her expression as she slumps in the seat. Like she's failed and hates herself for it.
"I'll do better. I have to," she says. "Especially since I'm going to be handling parenthood as a single mom. Unless…you'd rather end our agreement now? No hard feelings. I messed up. I really messed up. I am so sorry."
I swallow down the anger and fear still pulsating through my body and focus. She made a mistake anyone could've made. How many times have I dozed off in a chair with Dani playing nearby? At any point, she could've tried to sneak out to ride her bike, and I would've been just as responsible. I take a breath and remind myself that my precocious daughter has a mind of her own. "You just got a wake-up call on how fast something can happen," I say softly. "We both did. Let's keep that in mind from now on. I was asleep in the chair. If I'd been here alone, she could've snuck out and done the same thing."
Lindsey nods and swallows hard.
"I'll do better," she whispers again.
