Page 49 of The Love Syllabus

I huff out a laugh, and then my expression softens. “Gary, how was Ari this morning? We barely spoke, and I know she was stressed about her leg and the dress. Honestly, her meltdowns scare me, and Kerry handles them way better than I ever could.”

Gary chuckles, “She certainly has a way with them, doesn’t she? You’ll be happy to hear that Ms. Kind has everything under control. The ladies have been pampering themselves all morning—hairdresser, then nail salon. They’ve been having a blast.”

“What?!” My surprise borders on betrayal. “They did all that without me?”

“Easy, Mr. Grimes,” Gary soothes, glancing at me through the rearview mirror with an amused smile. “Would you really want to sit in a salon all morning?”

I pause, consider it, and then sigh dramatically. “Good point, Gary. I’ll just stick with this. Are the Kinds able to make it today?” I ask, reminiscing on last weekend’s festivities.

“Nope, he still hates you, Sir.” Gary chuckles.

Yeah, about that… as expected, when Kerry’s parents returned from vacation, they weren’t thrilled to learn their daughter was dating a man with not one but TWO kids. And, of course, they weren’t thrilled to learn about it from the town’s social media pages, let alone theShaderoom. Why in the world are her parents even following a gossip blog?

I knew they weren’t going to be easy to win over, but damn, I just keep digging myself into a deeper hole.

Last Sunday, Kerry ushered us over to her parents’ house for dinner. What she didn’t tell me was that she promised her mom that I’d help her cook. So, there we were side by side, cooking a Southern Sunday feast – mac and cheese, smothered chicken, potato salad, yellow rice, and cabbage. My blood pressure spiked every time I saw how much seasoning Mrs. Kind poured over the food. She emptied nearly half a bottle of Lawry’s into every dish. Meanwhile, Kerry sat in the living room with her dad and the girls, watching the Greer United Soccer team get their asses handed to them. I laughed with every bad play, only causing Mr. Kind to glare at me. Needless to say, her father still hates me, but I’m happy to say they love Syd and Ari.

But even with all the judgmental glares andaccidentalinsults thrown my way, being there with Kerry, my girls, and her parents felt good. It felt warm. It felt right.

“I’m gonna win them over soon, Gary. You just wait.” I say confidently.

We both laugh and joke about the numerous ways Mr. Kind threatened to make me disappear before we arrive in downtown Greer. The moment I spot my two little girls bopping down the sidewalk, hand-in-hand with Kerry, my heart races.

It took some convincing, over a month to be exact, but I welcome the idea of my daughters making friends. Ari’s smile is as bright as ever for her first day out in our new town. I can’t shield them from every bad person on earth, but I can expose them to the good, to people who can enrich lives and make way for my girls to enrich others.

And well, if the people of this town are as good and pure-hearted as Kerry, then I’m willing to give them a chance.

“Daddy! You made it!” Syd runs into my arms, adorable as ever, with her butterfly clipped braids and compression sleeve decorated with butterflies to match.

“Hey, hey, hey, now. Didn’t I tell you to relax your arm for the day? You’re flapping them around like a chicken when you run.” I playfully tease her while spinning her around.

“And shouldn’t you be in the bed or soakin’ in the tub after I whooped your butt last night? You shouldn’t ever try to break dance again!” Syd fires back.

I hear Ari and Kerry’s soft voices in the background and manage to tear my attention away from Syd to my other little angel—the one whose mind is surely racing with her insecurities, the one who’s extraordinary in every way but simply wants to be seen as normal. She’s wearing a sporty shorts set with her full self on display, and she’s perfect.

I gasp, dramatic on purpose, hoping to pull a smile from her face. “Is that my Ari wearing shimmery nail polish nearly blinding me? Or is that just your perfect smile?”

She giggles. “Dad!” Rolling her eyes. “Do you like my nails? What about my hair? Look at my curls! They’re so pretty. Ms. Kind did them. We’re twinsies now.”

“You look beautiful, baby girl.” I hug her with one arm while still holding Syd.

Then, I look at Kerry with admiration and add, “Good afternoon, Kerry. You look beautiful as well.”

She blushes, but I don’t quite know why. She knows she’s gorgeous, and she knows how hard it is for me to take my eyes off her.

Unless the girls have something to say about it, of course.

“Ooh, Daddy’s giving my Ms. Kind googly eyes again.” Syd interrupts our moment.

I sigh, rolling my eyes while Kerry blushes even harder.

We all hold hands and step into the ice cream shop for our first family day and Kerry’s official first day out in public as mygirlfriend.

Chapter 13

New Beginnings, New Friends – Vic

Though I’m nervous about reintroducing my daughters to the world—to new people, unfamiliar eyes, and potential harm I can’t control—I trust Kerry. Because I trust her, I let myself be carefree and enjoy this moment.

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