Page 123 of A Forever Love

“No, but I was hoping to hear from Brandon. I want to know what’s happening at work. I’m getting bored.”

All the color drains from his face. “You cannot return to work with the cast, Mere!”

“Relax, Dad. I’m not talking about going back to work. Besides, with the five-star treatment I’m getting at home, I’m in no rush,” I joke, and thankfully a teeny tiny smile pulls on his lips. “But a lot of what I do at work involves thinking, and I can still brainstorm with Brandon, provided Kristy and Elixir Inc. allow a work-from-home setup.”

“Okay, that doesn’t sound so bad. But please limit it to maybe one or two hours.” He places a food tray on my lap, which has a big bowl of carrot soup and a side of freshly baked bread.

Poppy strolls into the living room and plops down on the couch opposite me, cradling Miss Sparkles in her lap. “Mere, how does lunch look today?”

My heart always swells at the sight of my little sisters loving our cats as much as I do.

“It looks delicious,” I reply before glancing at Dad, who shakes his head in exasperation. I hold back my giggle, waiting to hear what she’s done to drive Dad crazy now. “Did something change?” I ask carefully.

“Yeah, we’re vegan now,” Sage chimes in, sauntering into the room. Her messy ponytail sways to one side with each step, but she wouldn’t let anyone fix it, as she wants to be more independent these days, and doing her own hair is one of the tasks that she demands she doesn’t need help with.

“I’ll see how much longer you two last without cake,” Dad says. “I’m ordering cheesecake for your mom and purple velvet for Merida.”

“Cake!” They both run to Dad, each one wrapping around one of his legs.

“But cake isn’t meat,” Poppy says.

“It’s made with eggs, which is not vegan.”

“But Auntie Birdie told us we just couldn’t eat bacon.” Sage blinks at him, her pout so adorable.

“Aha! That’s how this veganism virus came into my home.” Dad’s already grabbing his phone, possibly to text Birdie.

But my sisters don’t care about anything now that they’ve zeroed in on cake. “Dad, we also want cake. Can we please order the Disney cupcakes? I want Elsa.” Poppy jumps up and down.

Sage joins in. “I want Belle.”

“I want Merida.” I pump my spoon up in the air.

“Not you too.” A surprised grin spreads across Dad’s face.

“You three can go cake shopping while Clem and I have some girl talk.” I throw in the idea as soon as Clem enters the room.

“Are you trying to get rid of me, kiddo? Have I already bored you that much?”

“Dad!” I extend my good hand out, noticing the way he pinches the bridge of his nose, attempting to conceal his displeasure. “I could never get bored of you. But I’m tired of sitting at home. Can I at least sit on the porch with—”

“I can sit with you,” Dad volunteers, instantly thwarting my plan to get any information from Clementine.

“I’ve let you monopolize Mere for a week, Keith, because I knew you needed it, but now you’re starting to grate on my nerves.” Clem, my fairy godmother, as always, comes to the rescue. “She and I are going to sit on the porch, and tomorrow, I’m inviting the girls over for a girls’ night. We’ll watch a movie, gossip a little, and have some iced tea and snacks that you make for us. Any issues with that?” She raises her chin defiantly, hands on her hips, ready for combat.

Dad’s irritated gaze narrows for less than a second before a slow grin appears on his face. “I’m almost scared, Miss Hawthorne.” He places his hand on hers and pulls her closer, under his arm.

“You should be because I’m trying to be scary. And by the way, it’s Mrs. Adams.”

“Okay, Mrs. Adams. I didn’t know I was grating on your nerves.”

“I love Mere too, you know. I also want to fuss over her. How many times does one get to take care of their daughter after she’s been hit by a bullet, anyway?” Her voice gets throaty as Dad places a kiss on her forehead.

I chuckle. “Once is enough for me, please.”

“I hear you both.” Dad leads Clem to the other end of the couch and takes away the breakfast table from my lap. “Come on, Poppy and Sage, we’ll get some Elsa, Belle, and Merida cupcakes for you girls, and for your Mom, I’ll buy a Wonder Woman cupcake.”

“You do that, husband.” Clem grins, although her eyes are still misty.

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