Page 113 of Smooth Sailing

She held mine tight.

Hugger rounded the wall to the dining room first.

He stepped to the side and two people came in after him.

It was then I saw Madison was a carbon copy of her mom. She was a wee thing with lots of blonde hair and big blue eyes.

Her father gave Hugger competition with bulk, though Mr. O’Keefe’s was softer (so Hugger won, then again, obvs, he’d win anyway).

Both their eyes were pinging everywhere until they landed on Madison, and then they stopped dead.

I squeezed her hand.

She squeezed mine back.

Rayne came up the rear and halted behind the O’Keefes.

No one said anything, no one even moved.

Until Mr. O’Keefe’s guttural “My baby girl” sounded.

Then Mrs. O’Keefe’s sob sounded.

And then Madison let me go and flew across the room to her dad.

He wrapped his arms around her in a hug so big, he pulled her off her feet.

Mrs. O’Keefe burrowed in, and he held his daughter aloft even as he let her go with one arm to hold his wife.

Oh yeah.

Totally weeping.

Damn!

Hugger came to me, and the supposedly not affectionate new man in my life pulled me into both of his arms and tucked me to his side.

This group hug lasted a long time and included some murmuring I made a point not to hear.

I was wondering if I should lead everyone to the dining room to give them space right before the group hug came to an end.

“Torture, not knowin’ where you were, baby girl,” Mr. O’Keefe grunted. And yes, before that, I had no idea anyone could grunt an entire sentence, but he did.

“Daddy, I’m so sorry,” Madison wept into his neck.

He gently put her down but didn’t let either of his girls go.

Though, he looked confused. “What are you sorry about?”

“I was stupid. You told me?—”

“Stop it right now, Madison Renee O’Keefe,” Mrs. O’Keefe snapped.

I pushed closer into Hugger.

“Mama—”

“Not another word like that, Maddy,” she warned. “Not one more word.”

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