Page 111 of Pin-up Girl

“Am I allowed to have fruit-face pancakes and sleep over at my friend’s house tonight?”

Had I just been manipulated? I didn’t think so. Her good day question sounded genuine. “My answer is yes to both, but we have to check with your friend’s mom, and she has to say yes too.”

Dee grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the parking lot again. “Okay. Let’s go get pancakes.”

We piled into Aubrey’s car, and met Brodie at a nearby House of Waffles Barn, where we ordered breakfast for lunch.

Before our food arrived, Brodie discussed the physics of Dee’s new ball-in-cup toy with her. He gave the ball more weight using the paper sleeves from our silverware, and helped Dee make other mechanical modifications.

I made them put the toy away while we ate, and Brodie pouted as hard as Dee did. When lunch was over, on our way out, Brodie grabbed Aubrey’s keys and handed them to me. “I need to borrow this brilliant mind for the afternoon,” he said.

“Ooh.” Aubrey’s face lit up. “Do I get to find out what the surprise is?”

Brodie nodded. “Yes.” Before I could protest or ask why her not me, he added, “And we’ll tell you tonight.”

“You’d better.” I should just send them on their way, but it had been too good a morning to pretend I didn’t want goodbye kisses. It wasn’t as if it was a secret, and I needed to have this conversation with Dee anyway. I grasped Aubrey’s fingers to tug her close, and brush my lips over hers. Then I did the same with Brodie. “See you tonight,” I said.

Dee huffed and yanked my free arm. “Dad, come on.”

I shook my head, and Aubrey and Brodie headed toward his rental car.

Dee was silent until we got on the freeway. “Dad, why did you kiss them both?”

I hated that I’d hidden my marriage to Aubrey, and that I’d chickened out on having this conversation sooner. But with the question out there, straightforward and clear as day, my answer was easy. “Because I love them both.”

“Oh. Like with Sawyer and Evie and Gage?”

“Exactly like that.” Maybe not exactly. Even when Brodie was being intentionally obtuse, he didn’t rankle me the way Sawyer did Gage.

Dee shrugged and pulled out her sketchbook. “Okay.”

“You didn’t have any more questions?” I was surprised.

“No.” She had her pencil in hand, but tapped a blank page with the eraser instead of drawing.

We drove in silence for a while.

“Are Bree and B going to come live with us?” Dee asked abruptly.

I wanted that so badly. Seeing them go back to her place, not being part of that, gnawed at me. “I don’t know yet. I have to talk to them about that.”

“You should tell them I want them to,” Dee said.

That would make a lot of things easier. Not telling them, but my knowing that Dee was okay with it. “I’ll do that.”

She turned her attention to a new drawing, and I drove.

This was so far from the life I pictured when I was younger. When I was with Brodie in high school and thought he was the only person I’d ever love. When I married Regina. When we had Dee. Those paths—find a single person, live a nine-to-five life, and call it a fairytale ending—were the ones I’d always thought I should pursue.

But this was so much better. It made me happy. It felt right. Loving Aubrey and Brodie. Having a smart, creative kid. It was all so weirdly perfect.

The longer I drove, the more I was excited to see them both tonight. To talk about our next steps. To let the past be what it was, and build a new future together. All of us.

I couldn’t have asked for anything more incredible.

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