Page 48 of Painting Together a Family
“She makes some amazing things with that stick,” Bryan noted. “Did she teach you how to do it?”
“She tried, but I kept crying.” Juni winced. “I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to apologize, honey. You were upset. It’s hard to learn new things when you’re upset,” Bryan assured her. He was good with the girls, from what Dev could see. Gentle, helpful, caring, but not a pushover, he didn’t think.
“I bet she’ll come back for another lesson, hmm?” He stroked her hair, loving on her.
“Not if it means you’ll get hurt.”
“I think we’re going to invite her for an afternoon soon, so you guys can get to know her better. She’s a very nice lady who is a friend.” Bryan smiled. “Or we could all go down to the community center where she works—they’ve got lots of great activities for kids. For instance, I read books out loud.”
“I can do that. Read out loud. I read a lot for my age. The teacher says so.”
Dev smiled and nodded. Juni had been a slow reader, unlike her sister, and was fighting to catch up.
“Good for you! And maybe you could help me with the reading hour sometimes.”
“If Daddy says yes, sure.” She glanced up at him, and he nodded. “Daddy says yes.”
Bryan chuckled. “Excellent. Next time that the boys and I go, we’ll bring you along. Meanwhile,” Bryan glanced at his watch.“Looks like the groceries aren’t going to get here in time for lunch. What do you think we should feed your daddy?”
“Bacon sandwiches.” That was immediate.
“Is there a place you can order that from? The bacon is coming, as is the bread, but there isn’t any in the fridge right now.” Bryan looked to him.
“I can?—”
“Murphy’s Deli! Can I have a turkey with provolone and pickles, Daddy?” Marley hollered.
Bryan chuckled. “I’ll get everyone’s order and call it in. You going to have a bacon sandwich like Juni?”
“Yes, please. No cheese for me, and tomato and lettuce.”
“Got it. Juni—how do you want yours?”
“Just like Daddy, please!”
“You got it. And turkey with provolone and pickles for Marley. What kind of bread?” Bryan called out.
“Ciabatta, please.”
“Daddy,” Micah whispered. “I want what Marley haves.”
Micah was in love.
“Okay, you got it. What about you, Dylan?”
“The bacon sandwich sounds good. But I just want bacon on it.”
“No lettuce?”
Dylan gave it due consideration. “Yeah, I’ll try it. I can take it off if I don’t like it, right?”
“You can indeed. And I’ll have a bacon sandwich as well. That’s all of us.” Bryan started typing on his phone.
Dev leaned back against the sofa. “How are you boys doing? Are you liking your room?”
“It’s huge,” Dylan told him. “Like ginormous!”
