Page 61 of Mine To Keep (Southern Wedding)

“Guess who is here for breakfast?” Caine says from the front door. “Grace.”

“She came back?” Meadow asks, and I close my eyes, thankful she’s too young to put two and two together.

“She did. She missed eating pizza with you,” he explains, and I hear her feet running into the kitchen.

“Gracie,” she says, using a nickname for me, her hair loose, “you came to eat with us.”

“I did,” I confirm, getting down. “How was your sleepover?”

“Good.”

“They woke up at four thirty, so today is going to be fun,” Caine states from behind her.

“We are going to the zoo today,” Meadow says, and I smile at her. “Do you want to come to the zoo with us? There are all the animals.”

“That sounds like so much fun.” I look up at Caine. “If that’s okay with your dad.”

“Oh, more than okay,” he agrees. “Did you eat breakfast? I’m making pancakes.”

“I want some,” she says, jumping up and down.

“Go change your clothes,” Caine instructs, “and then I’ll fix your hair.”

“I can do her hair.” I look over at Caine. “While you cook.”

“Do you know how to do braids?” Meadow asks, almost in a whisper. “Daddy does them, but they fall out.”

“I’m trying,” Caine defends. “Those YouTube videos do not help.”

“I know how to do braids,” I say, getting up. “You cook, and I’ll do the braids.”

“Do you know how to do mermaid braids?” Meadow asks when she turns to walk up the stairs, grabbing my hand. I walk past Caine, who slips his finger through mine as I walk by.

“I do know,” I tell her as we walk back upstairs, and she heads into her bathroom. Seeing towels hanging, I know Caine took a shower in here. “Where are your elastics?” She opens the top drawer, and I am about to laugh. The drawer is all organized with brushes in the middle and then little containers for her elastics, smaller elastics, hair pins, barrettes. Of course, all color coded. “Okay, so what color are we doing?”

“Pink is my favorite,” she says, pulling a stool from the side and standing on it. “First you have to spray my hair with this,” she instructs me, and I can’t help but laugh, thinking how very much she is her father’s daughter.

“Got it.” I take the detangler out of the drawer. “Can I put water on it first?” I ask. “This way, it’s easier to comb out.”

She looks at me through the reflection of the mirror, not sure. “Dad,” she yells, “can we add water to my hair?”

I look over at the door, seeing if he’s going to answer. “Whatever Grace wants!” he hollers back, so she nods her head at me.

“Usually,” I tell her as I turn on the water in the sink, “I have a little spray bottle that I can wet my hair with. But when I don’t, I just wet my hand and then put it on my hair,” I explain what I’m doing. “Then I spray it.” I pick up the bottle before brushing out her hair. “Tell me if I hurt you, okay?” I look in the mirror as she watches my every move. “You have pretty hair.” She smiles at me, and for one second, I think back to when I met her mother and wonder why she would give up her child. How anyone could is beyond me. “Let’s start the mermaid braid. You have to split your hair into two sections,” I tell her as I look down at her hair. “Now the fun starts.” She smiles so big and bounces up and down. “You take a little piece from the side and move it to the other side,” I explain to her, going a piece at a time. It takes me about five minutes to finish, and when I’m done, she turns her head to the side to see it. But she can’t really see it.

“Caine,” I call his name when I walk out of the bathroom.

“Yeah,” he says, and I can smell cooking.

“Do you have a hand mirror?” He comes into the hallway, and I see the confused look on his face. “That’s a no.” I shake my head. “How is she supposed to see her hair?”

“Take a picture,” he suggests, and I smile.

“So smart.”

“My phone is on the bedside table.” He points over at his bedroom. I rush into his room, grabbing his phone that is next to mine. Smiling, I grab both phones, putting his in my back pocket and grabbing mine.

“Okay,” I say when I walk back in the room as Meadow tries to look at her hair from left to right. I snap a picture, then turn it to her so she can see.

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