Page 121 of Safe and Sound

“Fine. Go play. But I’m not finished with you.”

“Lucky me,” I mused, to which Ava positively hissed with fury.

Taking Piper by the hand, we started weaving our way through the crowd. After buying a ridiculous amount of tickets, we then went in search of fun. It wasn’t long before Piper spotted something.

“I wants that!” she called pointing to a kid sized helicopter that went up to the ceiling and spun around.

“Okay,” I replied.

Once the tickets were sucked into the machine, I eased her inside and belted her. “Have fun!”

She giggled and bounced excitedly. As I watched her take off, Thomas came up to me. “Are you sure the two of you should be out in the open like this?”

I rolled my eyes. “Go get a beer.”

“I would never do that on the job, sir,” he countered with a horrified expression.

Smacking his back, I said, “You’re a good man, Thomas.”

After Piper’s helicopter came back down, she cried, “Again!”

Chuckling, I replied, “Okay.”

Of course, my amusement was short-lived when I caught Ava’s glare across the restaurant. “I’m in big trouble, Thomas.”

He grimaced. “I’d say so, sir.”

“Any advice?”

“In this case, I’d highly recommend groveling.”

With a grunt, I questioned, “Seriously?”

“If you want to have a place in your daughter’s life, then you’re going to have to play nice with Ms. Carras.”

“Even if she’s being a shrew?”

The corners of his lips quirked. “Even then.”

“Once again, you’re a good man, Thomas.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Chapter Thirty-One: Dare

Ava put the kibosh on Piper’s playtime shortly before we ran out of tickets. Apparently, it was getting close to her bedtime. Since she was still pissed at me, she told Piper that, not me.

When Piper whined and refused to get out of the ride she was on, I remembered Thomas’s words. Reaching inside, I picked her up and pulled her out. As she shrieked in protest, I said, “Piper, your Mommy said it was time to go, so we’re going.”

“But yous don’t have to do what she says,” she countered through hiccuping cries.

I didn’t bother glancing at Ava. I could only imagine the stone-cold fury emanating from her face. I shook my head at her.“Good little girls listen to their mommies. You want to be a good girl, don’t you?”

“I wants to pway!” she protested.

“It’s time for us to go.”

“But–”

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