She slipped off Sunny’s knee and shuffled past me, gazing up in sorrow. “I sorry, Daddy.”
I stroked her head. “I know, baby.”
“I play with Chase?”
I took the carrier to the desk and set it beside the table. “I’ll be right over there.”
“Okay.” She bent over, whispering to Chase. She always did that, and I often wondered what secrets she was sharing.
I pulled Sunny into my arms and held her. “You okay?”
She sighed, burrowing closer. I sat down and tucked her onto my lap. We both needed to be close.
“That hurt?” she asked. “Saying the word punishment?”
“Yeah, it did.”
“Pretty lame punishment, Daddy. She got off easy.”
“It was all I could come up with on the spur of the moment. It’s my first time, you know. Cut me some slack.”
She smirked. “I think we’ll find we’ll need some more, ah, guidelines.”
“Christ, she’s too smart. All happy and proud, walking in, clutching your pass, coming to see me,” I muttered. “Telling me how she waited for the little man before crossing the street.”
Sunny covered a laugh behind her hand. “Lori said the back door buzzed, so she went to let in the supplier. She told Mandy she’d be right back. She’s sat there having her snack numerous times—she’s never done this before.”
I sighed. “I’d never waved to her before and said I missed her. I’m sure the idea popped into her head. I think we’re entering new territory here.” I glanced over at Amanda and groaned. “And she’ll teach Chase. She’s already started.”
Sunny followed my gaze. “You said no TV. She’s streaming.”
I put my lips close to her ear. “She’d tell us it’s a computer, therefore different.”
“We are so screwed,” Sunny sighed.
I watched Amanda as she sat on the floor, pointing out funny things on the screen to Chase. She’d pulled Abby’s laptop down with her, signing in, no doubt using the password Abby shared with her at some point.
Amanda knew she was bending the rules, and I tried not to find delight in my little rebel of a daughter. She knew I would take away the computer, and she would surrender it with no fuss, but until then, she would enjoy her time with her brother.
And the sight of it made me smile.
“We are screwed,” I agreed.
“But I love them,” Sunny sighed again. “Our little fusspot and the rulebreaker.”
I hugged her close. I rather looked forward to seeing what they would do to keep us on our toes.
We’d certainly never be bored.
“Me too,” I assured her. “Especially their mother.” I kissed her. Once. Twice. Third time for luck.
She cupped my face. “Now, let’s take them home,” she said. “I have biscuits for you in the car. We can have them for lunch before you forget the no-dessert thing too.”
I had to kiss her again. An unexpected afternoon with my family.
“Perfect.”
Twelve years later
AMANDA
I crept up the path, sliding my fingers through the wooden slats until I found the latch. It lifted noiselessly thanks to the WD-40 I had squirted on it yesterday in preparation. I had learned my lesson before—that stuff leaves a scent, and if my dad smelled it, he would know something was up.
Luckily, my parents slept at the front of the house and I had already checked their light was off. I had Damon leave me by the beach and I cut up across the sand and stood under the willow trees to make sure. I slipped from tree to tree—there were six in total. The older ones were my parents, and the younger ones were us kids. It was kind of a sentimental thing for them, but I had to admit I sorta liked it. My tree was the tallest, then Chase’s. The twins—Cedric Michael and Kelsey Lynn—weren’t far behind. They were born two years after Chase. I loved them all, even if they were a pain at times.
I slipped through the gate, my shoes in one hand, hoping the patio doors would be unlocked. If not, I would have to go to the front and use my key. That would wake up my parents for sure. The solar lights flickered around the pool, and the outside light glowed dimly in the darkness as I crept closer. I’d almost gotten to the house when a voice broke the stillness.
“Not so fast, young lady.”
I spun on my heel.
“Oh. Hi, Daddy.”
“Don’t ‘Hi, Daddy’ me. You’re an hour past your curfew.”
I glanced at my phone. “An hour and a half, actually.”
My dad tried not to grin. “Honest to a fault—even for a rule-breaker. Sit down.”
I curled into the chair next to him.
“Your mother and I are pretty lenient with you. But you broke three rules tonight, Amanda.”
“Damon and I were talking, Daddy. I forgot about the time.”
He shook his head. “Four rules now.”
“Four?”
He held up his fingers and counted. “You broke curfew. You didn’t call and let us know you were okay. You didn’t answer my call. You just lied to my face.” He sat back. “I noticed the squeak is gone from the gate as well, so technically, you planned on being late, so that’s five.”
I blushed. I had lied. I couldn’t exactly tell my dad Damon and I had been kissing on the beach and I lost track of time. I always did when we kissed. He was an artist with his tongue, and I was crazy about him. I kept my mouth shut about all that. It would send my dad off the deep end.
He grasped my hand. “Your mother and I trust you, Amanda. We know how incredibly intelligent you are. I also know, thanks to the kickboxing lessons you attend, you can take care of yourself. But our trust will waver if you pull this shit again.”
“Dad, it’s summer. All the other kids get to stay out later.”
“Those other kids aren’t my daughter,” he responded.
I huffed a sigh and crossed my arms.
“Just give me my punishment.” My dad’s punishments were always easier to take than my mom’s—she was way tougher.
He mimicked my posture and sat back. “If you want to discuss extending your curfew, then you need to sit down with Mom and me to talk to us about it. The same way you did when you wanted a bigger allowance, or to go to movies alone with your friends. I don’t appreciate you sneaking around to see more of this boy.”
“I’m not sneaking around, and he isn’t just some boy.”
My dad’s eyebrows shot up. “Pardon me?”
I couldn’t meet his eyes. “He’s…special.” I sighed. “You wouldn’t understand.”
For a moment, there was silence. When he spoke, his voice was soft and gentle. “I do understand, baby. I met your mother when I was a kid. She was my best friend, and when I was fifteen, I fell in love with her. I’ve loved her ever since.”
He had never told me that before. “Really?”
“Yes. We went through a lot to be together.”
“Like what?”
He waved his hand. “That’s a story for another time. The point is, we aren’t trying to keep you apart, Amanda. Bring him around. Let us meet him. Hang out here some. If he’s as important as you say, we want to get to know him.”