Page 105 of Steeled

“Daddy said we could haveice cream!”

“Oh, did he?”

“Yup,” she confirmed as Nora heard her crew returning through the mudroom.

“Go wash your hands. I’ll grab the bowls.”

As the credits came on the screen, signaling the end of an episode, Nora-Jean rested a hand against the center of his chest and looked up at him. “I’m gonna head up. You comin’?”

He checked the time. It was almost eleven. He knew neither of them would actually go to sleep until Evie was home, but they rarely made it so obvious they were waiting up. “You go ahead. I’m right behind you.”

“’Kay.”

Lawson watched her go, still enjoying the view all these years later. His wife had legs for days; and just as it did when he was sixteen years old, sinking inside of her with those legs wrapped around him was heaven. Even thinking about it turned him on—she still did that, too.

Smiling to himself, he stowed such thoughts away and powered down the entertainment center. He then went about the house, checking doors and shutting off forgotten lights. He left the garage unlocked and turned on the stove light for Evie, then headed upstairs. Rather than head for the bedroom, he looked in on his children as he passed each room.

Court’s door was shut—something Lawson was still getting used to, a year after they let him start sleeping with it closed. He was on his way to becoming a man, but that didn’t stop Lawson from peeking his head in and watching his boy sleep. He was dead to the world. Probably growing, too. His growth spurts were insane. With every extra inch he gained, the memory of his baby boy grew more distant. Nevertheless, no matter how tall he got, Court would always be his little man.

When Lawson was ready to move on, he closed the door and headed for the next.

Genevieve Justice slept curled up on her side. With each passing day, she was getting closer and closer to adolescence. For now, she was still his little girl, and he didn’t take that for granted. She was as curious as she was creative. In a way, she embodied what it meant to be a middle child in a house full of Steeles, which made her and Lawson a lot alike. Their temperament was similar, even though she took after her mother in all other ways. They had the same eyes, the same chestnut hued hair, the same pretty smile—and she could sing. She had a voice like an angel. With Evelyn teaching her everything she knew, this meant carpool karaoke was a real thing for the Steele family.

For a second, his mind tried to remind him that his days with Evelyn under his roof were numbered—but he shoved the thought aside and headed for the next room.

Liliana Gale still slept with her favorite stuffed toy. She was weeks away from being double digits, and Lawson got confused every time he thought about it. It was hard to comprehend his youngest being that old. Time passed so quickly. He’d learned, with all his children, the only thing you could do was enjoy each season for as long as it lasted.

He was still standing with his shoulder propped against Liliana’s open door frame when he heard Evelyn climbing the stairs.

“Busted,” she whispered, bypassing her own door before coming to join him. “You don’t watch me sleep, do you?”

As soon as she came to a stop at his side, she circled her arms around his waist. He hummed a quiet laugh, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

“Not anymore. That is, unless I can’t find Liliana because she’s crawled into bed with you.” He kissed the top of her head before he asked, “How was your night?”

“Good. The kids were great, and Uncle Finn gave me an extra large tip. He said it was an early graduation gift.”

“Big day tomorrow.”

She sucked in a deep breath as she tightened her arms around him in excitement. “I know. I can hardly wait. Especially for the party. It’s gonna be so fun.”

“It’s late. You better get some sleep.”

“Yeah, I will. Night, daddy.”

She reached up and kissed his cheek as he replied, “Night, darlin’.”

He watched her disappear into her room, thinking about how she still called himdaddy. Court started calling himdadwhen he was seven. Lawson remembered when he asked his sister a couple years later why she still referred to him as such. She’d smiled her gorgeous smile, looked Lawson right in the eye and said—“Because daddies are forever.”

She was right. No matter what.

The soft click of Evelyn’s door closing was his cue to make his way to his own room. Nora-Jean was sitting up in bed, writing in her songbook. She looked up when he shut the door behind him.

“Evie get in okay?”

“Yeah. She’s gone to bed.”

“Good,” she murmured, returning to her words.

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