“Look at how beautiful you two look,” the hostess continued. “And since you’re the most gorg princesses ever, it’s only appropriate that you eat dinner somewhere extra-extra special, am I right?”
“Yesss! Yes! Yes!” Ellie chanted.
The hostess separated the paper arches that hung over the opening of the door. “Welcome to your castle, ladies.”
The moment they peeked inside, they started screaming. That was when Sophie reminded them that they were in a restaurant, and I backed up her statement, requesting inside voices only.
The lowering of their tones did nothing to curb the shockand awe on their faces as they took in the transformation of the room. My crew had covered every inch of the space with tapestries over the walls that depicted the outside of a castle and a shaggy rug on the floor, which didn’t resemble the appropriate time frame but played into the age of the girls. The table was pink with high-back chairs and place settings that matched.
“Is this the same room we had dinner in?” Sophie asked.
I chuckled. “Yes.”
I felt her eyes on me as she said, “How am I ever going to throw my daughter a birthday party that can compete? For the rest of her life, when it comes to anything, she’s going to compare it to this. Because this is …” She went quiet. “Colson, I don’t even have words.”
“You don’t have to throw her a party alone. We’ll be doing it together.” I locked eyes with her. “And as you can see, I’m a pretty solid planner.”
She found my finger and tightened hers around it. “Together.” I could hear the emotion in her voice.
“We’re going to do everything together, Sophie. It’s not all on you anymore.”
It wasn’t just a promise of a partnership. It was a promise that I was never going anywhere. For the rest of my life, as long as I could help it, Sophie would never feel abandoned again.
“Come on,” I whispered. “Let’s go enjoy some sushi.”
She smiled as we separated, and we joined the girls at the square-shaped table, Sophie and I next to each other with Abbi at her side and Ellie at mine.
“Abbi, did you see what’s in your glass?” Sophie was holding hers up in the air. “It’s a drink for a princess.”
Abbi’s mouth widened so large that she looked animated. “That’s a wow.” She turned it in her hand. “Mommy, it sparkles. Everywhere.”
“Uh-huh,” Ellie agreed as she lifted hers.
“What should we toast to?” I joined my glass in the center to meet theirs. “How about … to our very first adventure together?” I couldn’t hold it in. I fucking couldn’t. “As a family.”
The girls giggled and clinked their flutes together while Sophie stared at me, clearly understanding my statement far more than the little ones did.
While the girls pointed to different things around the room, the urge to tell them became too strong. I saw no reason to wait until tonight, especially because I knew it was eating at Sophie. The sooner we got this over with, the faster she could relax.
So, I made the decision.
Under the table, I reached my leg toward Sophie’s, hooking my foot around her calf, and said, “Abbi, can I ask you something?”
She wiggled in her pink chair, smiling. “Yes!”
“When it comes to Ellie, when she wants to do something a little extra, she’s been taught to ask for permission. Do you do the same with your mommy?”
“Mommy has to say yes to all the things, but sometimes, she says no.” Abbi’s shoulders slumped.
I laughed. “That’s why I want to talk to you—because this is one of those things where you either need to say yes or no to me. Okay?”
“Okay!”
My focus was on Abbi, but I gave Sophie a quick peek. Her smile was there even if it was faint, and I could tell she knew what was coming. Her fear was preventing a full grin, but I swore that would change.
“Do you know how much you love your mommy? Well, I also love your mommy very much. I love her so much that I want to spend as much time with her as possible.”
Abbi’s lips formed an O.
