Page 113 of The Fiancé Hoax

I nodded. “Yeah. Very much.”

“And she likes you.”

I looked at her. “You think so?”

“Believe me. I know.”

I chuckled. Eva was smart, but she was eight. She didn't know about adult relationships.

“You want to be with her, and she wants to be with you,” Eva explained. “Grown-ups are so silly sometimes.”

I chuckled and glanced over my shoulder at the school. “Aren't you going to be late for class?”

“Nope. My teacher's not even outside yet. That means we're early.” Eva shrugged.

“You've got everything figured out, don't you?”

“Yes, I do. So listen to me, Daddy. I've never seen you smile as much as when you're with Felicity. And I've seen the way she looks at you. If you can't see it, you're blind!”

She threw her hands into the air in frustration.

“I don't know what happened,” she continued, “but now you're both acting all sad and weird. You guys are perfect for each other. Like, way more perfect than Ariel and that prince guy.”

I laughed.

“I’m serious, Daddy. Like two peas in a pod. But…” She pressed her finger to her lips, thinking. “I think you must have said something wrong. Something that made her sad.”

“Yeah,” I admitted around the lump in my throat. “I messed up.”

“So, go make it better. Tell her you're sorry and stuff.”

I scratched the stubble on my jaw. “You don't think it's too late?” It was ridiculous to ask an eight-year-old for relationship advice, but here I was.

“No, but you better hurry before some other guy finds her. Felicity is the full package, Dad.”

I chuckled at her choice of words.

“You can't expect her to wait for you forever,” Eva added.

I nodded, letting my daughter's words sink in. As pathetic as my situation was, maybe Eva really did have the best advice for me right now.

“Lily and I love Felicity. We don't want her to leave. She doesn't want to leave, either. Plus, me and Lily want Happy Dad back.”

“Happy Dad?” I asked.

“Yeah.” She circled her hands through the air, gesturing toward my face. “This is Sad, Grumpy Dad. When Felicity is around, everyone's happy. We’re like one big, happy family!”

I nodded, suddenly speechless and choked up.

Eva hopped out of the car and gave me a hug. “I've got to go, Daddy. My teacher’s waiting for me now.”

I hugged her tight. “Thanks for the advice, kiddo.”

Eva ran off toward the school and shouted over her shoulder, “Anytime!”

I watched as she raced toward a cluster of her friends. Within seconds, she was laughing hysterically at something. I smiled. I was so lucky to have both my daughters.

And maybe it wasn't too late to make our family complete.

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