Page 82 of Those Two Words

“Sweetheart, that look you have right now says enough. Go, kick your brothers out, and catch up.” She heads upstairs but shouts her next words over her shoulder. “Or whatever it is you kids do these days.”

Shaking my head in laughter, I walk into the kitchen, and the sight that greets me has the breath catching in my throat.

The radio is blasting, bubbles float around the room, and Jo is spinning Lottie around in circles.

My heart stalls, and when it restarts, it threatens to burst out of my chest from how much adoration it’s brimming with. I rub at the aching spot as I watch Jo beam down at Lottie, who is making up the lyrics to the song with a huge grin on her face.

Graham and Booth have ditched the dishes and are blowing bubbles at the girls as they twirl around the room, still in their princess dresses.

It’s chaos, but it’s my chaos. And with Jo standing in the middle of it, chaos has never felt so blissful.

“Daddy, look, I’m dancing,” Lottie shouts over the music.

“Wow, look at my pretty girls.” The words are out before I even understand the meaning behind them. But they don’t feel wrong. They feel so fucking right. These are my girls and it’s about time Jo knew it.

Jo looks over at me, like she can’t believe her ears. She glances over at my brothers, but they don’t pay us any mind as I walk over to where they’re spinning around in circles.

I don’t care what anyone thinks.

She is my girl.

As I approach them, Booth cuts in front of me, bows gallantly at Lottie, and lays a cluster of bubbles on her nose. “Can I have this dance, milady?” Lottie giggles, and before she can reply, Booth is scooping her up and spinning her around the room with a delighted squeal. He sends me a wink over Lottie’s head, and I know exactly what he’s up to. I’ve been raised in a family of meddlers.Though, for once, I appreciate the scheming.

“I guess you’re stuck with me?” I hold my hand out to Jo.

“You dance?” she asks skeptically, as she takes my hand. I pull her into me, until there’s hardly any space between us.

“Nope, so you might need to take the lead.” She slides her hands behind my neck and locks her fingers together. I settle mine at the small of her back and we sway with the sound of the music. When the song changes to “Only Love” by Ben Howard, I notice that it’s just us left in the kitchen.

I lay a chaste kiss to the crown of her head, before resting my cheek against it. She plays with the hair at my nape as we move with the music. There’s no rhythm to our movements, we create our own.

“Stay here tonight,” I murmur into her hair.

“What about Lottie?”

“She’s sleeping at my mom’s. Stay with me.”

“M’kay,” she says, voice muffled as she nuzzles into my chest.

“Dad—Oh, he is your prince,” Lottie abruptly announces. “Can you stop dancing though, because I found another present,” she demands and bounces out of the room.

Cockblocked by my own daughter.

Jo laughs when I steal a quick kiss and pull her behind me. We follow where Lottie has disappeared into the living room and find her grinning up at us like the Cheshire Cat and holding a purple, glittery gift bag.

“Look, another! Can I open it?” she asks.

“Sure. I think that one is from JoJo,” I tell her.

She gasps and runs over to Jo, hugging her legs tightly and thanking her repeatedly. Jo smiles at her and laughs, stroking the back of her head.

“You’re welcome. But you’ve got to open it first, silly.”

We all sit on the floor as Lottie tears through the tissue paper and gift wrap. A gasp bursts from her lips as she pulls out a rectangular box. “A puzzle!”

I peer over Lottie’s shoulder to see a children’s fifty-piece puzzle set of the animal kingdom. I look at Jo, who looks just as excited as my daughter. And there comes the ache in my chest again. I’ve accepted it’s a permanent fixture wherever these two are involved.

I think Jo and I were a few years older than Lottie when we did our first puzzle together, and seeing her share something so sentimental with my daughter, leaves me speechless.

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