Page 26 of Pucking Daddy

“I told you I would be.”

“I know, but sometimes grown-ups say things and then they forget.” She says it matter-of-factly, not accusing. Just… used to it.

Something tight pulls in my chest.

“Well,” I say, brushing a strand of hair out of her face, “I don’t forget.”

She studies me for a second, like she’s deciding whether to believe that.

Then she nods. “Okay.”

Trust. Given just like that. God.

“Ready to go?” I ask, standing and taking her hand.

“Can we stop for a snack?”

“Always.”

We walk a couple of blocks to a small café on the corner. It’s warm inside, smells like sugar and coffee, and Lily immediately presses her nose to the glass display.

“Can I have that one?” she asks, pointing to a cupcake covered in an alarming amount of pink frosting.

I grin. “That one looks like it might cause a sugar explosion.”

“I like explosions.”

“I figured.”

We settle at a small table by the window, Lily swinging her legs under the chair as she carefully peels the wrapper off her cupcake.

I watch her for a moment, letting the quiet settle between us.

This part? This is easy.

“Tell me something about you,” I say.

She looks up, frosting already on her cheek. “Like what?”

“Anything. Favorite color, favorite animal, biggest secret.”

“My favorite color is purple. My favorite animal is a dragon. And my biggest secret is…” She leans forward, lowering her voice. “I don’t like math.”

“Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me.”

She beams, then takes a huge bite of her cupcake.

“What about you?” she asks around the frosting. “What’s your favorite?”

“Hmm.” I pretend to think. “Favorite color… probably green. Favorite animal… definitely not a dragon.”

Her eyes narrow. “Why not?”

“They seem like a lot of responsibility.”

She considers that. “That’s true. You’d have to feed them a lot.”

“Exactly.”