Текст книги "Cruel and Beautiful"

Автор книги: A. M. Hargrove

Соавторы: Terri E. Laine
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Текущая страница: 27 (всего у книги 28 страниц)

When the night is over, he walks me to my car.

“I had fun.”

“Me too,” I say.

After I click the lock on my car, he opens the door so I can get inside. For the craziest of moments, I wonder if he will kiss me. The moment passes and he doesn’t. So I drive away and get back to my daily life.

~A year and four months after Drew~

“You’re finally going out with him tonight?” Jenna asks, genuinely surprised.

“It was last minute. His date canceled. He asked if I could go with him.” Then I add, “as friends,” before Jenna can get any ideas.

“Friends my ass.”

“Jenna, we are just friends.”

“But you like him.”

It’s the first time I hesitate in my response. “I don’t think I’m ready. Drew—”

Jenna cuts me off. “This is going to sound harsh, but Drew is gone and he’s never coming back. And we are all sorry that’s the case. But you promised him you would live. I’m sorry I have to pull that card, but it’s been long enough. No one is going to fault you for moving on.”

Her words still bounce in my head as I drink my glass of wine. When he turns his back, I down the rest and give the empty glass to the waiter.

When he turns back to me, I feel the need to fill the space. “You know everyone,” I say, nervous for the first time.

“My parents know everyone and thus they know me.”

“Your family and Jenna’s.”

Jenna would probably get stopped every few steps. This benefit has all the old families in attendance.

“It’s tough sometimes, like tonight when I would rather be talking to you than some stuffed shirt who knows my dad or mom.”

I find myself staring at his lips while he talks. I wave a hand at my face suddenly feeling flushed.

“Are you hot? Do you want to want to walk out on the terrace?”

I nod frantically because I can’t stop staring and it’s stupid.

He takes my hand and leads me outside. The night is cool and we stand by the marble railing staring out into the night. We start to talk at the same time.

“No, you go ahead,” I say.

He seems to take a breath. “Cate, I’ll be honest with you. I’m glad you’re here with me and not someone else.”

“Really?”

“I like you, Cate. I think I like you more than you’re ready to hear. And I’ve tried to be patient and not push, but Cate—”

It might be the wine, but I move in and silence him with my lips. I press them to his and savor the moment for a second. His hand snakes behind my back and I start to feel warm all over. It has to be the wine. Three glasses might have been the courage I needed.

When I pull back his eyes are heavy on mine. “Cate—”

I shake my head. “I want this. I want you, if you’ll have me.” I take his hand. I’ve known him for almost a year and a half. This isn’t rushed, my subconscious tells me. We’ve taken time to get to know each other. And I need to know. I need to know if I can move on. “Let’s see if they have a room.”

He stops and holds my hand so I can’t move toward the doors.

“Are you sure? I can wait.” He scrubs a hand through his hair. “Hell, I have been waiting.”

His words puzzle me for a second.

“You had a girlfriend?”

He shakes his head. “I had a girl. She was more than a friend but not by much. And maybe that was my fault because I’ve been infatuated with you since the first time I saw you. It was the wrong time, so I backed off. Now—”

“Now you’re talking too much. Let’s just see where this goes.”

When I wake up in the morning with him naked in the sheets, I completely freak out. I get dressed while he sleeps and I rush out without saying goodbye.

~A year and seven months after Drew~

It takes Jenna talking me down from the ledge before I’m able to talk or see the good doctor again. I’m scared of the feelings he’s creating in me. He’s been a great friend and being with him beneath the sheets made me want more. Still, I feel like I’m cheating on my dead husband.

He finally coaxes me out to have lunch with him. He’s been understanding, letting things take a step back in a slower gear. I’m grateful for that. I still feel somewhat guilty for feeling anything for anyone other than my late husband, Drew McKnight.

Yet, Drew Mercer makes it impossible not to have a good time. He’s telling me horror stories about working at the hospital.

“I walked into the patient’s room without knocking. Mind you, he’s a ninety year old man, and his wife was in there with him.” Drew’s brow rises. “The two of them were getting it on like they were newlyweds. I have to say, it gives me hope for the future.”

“He was in his nineties?” I ask.

He nods. “And she was probably in her late eighties.”

He gives a shudder but laughs. We’re both cracking up while enjoying an afternoon eating outside at a bistro when I see Ben.

Jenna’s brother looks lost and I know he’s been having a rough time. My laughs quiet and suddenly guilt consumes me like a ball of fire. How can I be laughing with another man? Drew’s best friend is still bereft with grief. I’m Drew’s wife. I should be worse off.

“I can’t,” I say, my mood changing lightning fast.

“What?”

My face feels flushed as I suddenly feel out of breath and I know I appear like a crazed bipolar patient off their meds. “I can’t do this. I’m not ready. How can I possibly be happy when he’s in the ground?”

“Cate, please.” He reaches for me. For the briefest second, I pause. “I think I’ve fallen in love with you.”

His words only catapult me from my seat because I’m starting to fall myself. How can I possibly take that leap with someone else? I belong to Drew. I bolt from the restaurant and from his life. I ignore his calls. I refuse to see him.

Weeks later when my boss offers me the transfer of a lifetime, I know I have to take it. I can move to DC and start fresh in a new city where memories of my Drew won’t haunt me.

“You can’t move without telling him,” Jenna berates me.

She’s right. Yet, I can’t talk to him either. He doesn’t deserve what I did to him. He’s been nothing but good to me. So I write him a letter explaining that I’m leaving town. I ask for his forgiveness and for his understanding. I leave with strict instructions to Jenna for her not to tell him where I’ve gone if he should ask. Only fate put us together again.

Present

I take Andy’s hand in mine. “There are a few things I need to show you and do before I can answer you.”

When we get to my place, he sits on the couch when I go to my room to get something. I come back to the room and sit next to him before I hand him the letter. It’s the letter Ben gave to me from Drew those many, many months ago.

I WALK UP TO ANDY, OR Drew, as I should now call him, and hand him the manila envelope I received last week. It was from Ben, which surprised me a little, but the mysterious contents intrigued me even more. Inside were two more envelopes, one addressed to me, and the other said, “The One—Cate—DO NOT OPEN!”

When I read the letter in the one addressed to me, my emotions were all over the place as I was thrown by the handwriting. Of course, I should have known he would’ve thought of everything. And he did.

Cate,

If you’re reading this, then Ben has deemed it was the appropriate time to pass this along, which means you have found THE ONE. Ben’s instructions were to send you this when he knew you had either fallen in love again, or were getting married. I hope, for your sake, that you are the happiest woman in the world. It is my most fervent wish that you live life to its fullest with the man of your dreams.

The other envelope is for him. Don’t you dare open it. If he chooses to share it with you, that is his business.

Be happy. You deserve nothing less than the best.

Yours,

Drew

Tears clouded my vision when I read it.

Now I stand before my other Drew, or Andy, and hand him his letter. His eyes ping back and forth between it and me. “What is this?”

“It’s from Drew. Ben sent it.”

A V forms between his brows and he turns it over a few times in his hands as he stares at it. He sits on the couch with his forearms resting on his thighs. I can’t even imagine what he must be thinking as he holds a letter from his girlfriend’s deceased husband.

“This is pretty weird, Cate.”

“Yeah, I know. If you don’t want to read it …”

“No, I do.” He fills his lungs with air and very gently opens the thick paper. Inside, I see the familiar handwriting, but I don’t dare peek. I walk to the other side of the room as he reads. He stops for a moment, wipes his face, and continues. When he’s finished, there isn’t a dry part of his face. Tears freely run and he does nothing to stop them. His arm extends out to me with the letter in his hand.

“You should read this.”

I take it from him and exchange it for a handful of tissues. Then I begin.

To THE ONE,

Since you’re reading this, Cate has either consented to marry you or has told you she’s fallen in love with you. If you haven’t yet asked her to marry you, you’d better do so. Love—those words don’t come easy for her, nor does she say them frivolously to just anyone. So you are one lucky bastard, let me tell you. And with that being said, I would ask that you treat her like the most precious bird alive. Most people think their loved ones need to be treated like gems. But gems are hard, and don’t need special care. Cate does. Don’t let her fly away. I’m sure she wanted to run from you. She probably felt guilty about loving you. Tell her I said to forget about that damn guilt. It’s a useless emotion that will bring her nothing but more pain. If she’s chosen you, you’d better do everything in your power to deserve her, because she’s special.

Cate changed my life. She has a way of putting her handprint on things and when she does, they are never the same again. She did that to me. She put the extra beat in my heart, made the blood flow faster through my veins, made my soul burn brighter and my sprit grow deeper. Once she entered my life, I knew there was no going back. I hope she does that to you, too. I once said that getting cancer made me more empathetic. That wasn’t true. It was Cate who did that to me.

I wanted her to move on and to find someone else after me, and I’m glad she did. My friend, Ben, has my permission to kick your ass if you’re not good to her. And he will. He’s that kind of guy. But I’m hoping he doesn’t have to because I truly want you to make her the happiest woman on Earth. For everything I put her through, she deserves it.

Now go and do her right. Treat her well and love her with everything you’ve got. You won’t be disappointed.

Drew McKnight

The letter flutters out of my hand because I’m incapable of anything, standing, seeing, talking, or breathing. Andy’s scent is all around me, so I know he’s there as I break into all the pieces Drew loved.

“Cate, baby, it’s going to be okay.”

I’m not so sure. Drew has been gone now for almost three years, yet the pain still stabs me in the chest like it happened yesterday. I feel like one of the pieces of me left with all the pieces of him when they departed this world.

“I’m sorry. It just came back. He was always a good guy and here he proves it in death.” I sob. “I’m sorry,” I say again.

“There’s nothing to be sorry for. You wouldn’t be the woman I fell in love with if that letter didn’t affect you. He loved you and I have big shoes to fill.”

I let him hold me as I continue to cry. Somewhere as Andy holds me with no judgment, no jealousy, no anything but all of his love, a piece inside that was missing fits into place.

As the tears slow, I realize I’m blessed for having Drew for the time I did. He showed me what love is, what it was meant to be. He gave me the tools to know when love was right. He gave me all of him as I had given all of myself in return. He wanted me to find love again. And I have. I hadn’t been sure until this point that I had a hundred percent to give back to someone else. But I was wrong.

I think back to something Drew said long ago. He said he didn’t believe in one soul mate for everyone. And I’m grateful he’s right. Not that I wanted him to pass from this earth and from me. But I’m humbled to have found someone else I could love so completely, who loves me the same way.

Immeasurable eyes, the color of calm clear seas, cornflowers blowing in the breeze and the skies on the clearest days, wait patiently as I break over another man. It’s then I know for sure that I’m the luckiest woman in the world. Not many people are given a second chance at love. I won’t waste mine.

“Yes,” I say.

He has no idea that while staring at him, I know I’ve built myself up again and I’m ready to take the plunge.

“Yes?”

“Yes, I’ll marry you if you’ll have me.”

The drive isn’t long and neither is the walk. Cate’s hands are linked in mine and she’s not sure why I brought us here because I haven’t told her. There’s no noise as we walk across the grass to a place of eternal rest, or so they say. The birds are even respectful as a peaceful calm greets us as we make our way to the stone.

It isn’t fancy, because according to all I’ve learned, it wasn’t Drew’s style to be. The marble headstone is simple and has just the right number of words.

Andrew Standford McKnight

Cherished Son

and

Loving Husband

I glance down at Cate. Nerves are starting to get the better of me. I squeeze her hand while I run the other over my hair. I try to smile to encourage her as I search for the words I haven’t exactly practiced. I turn away from her to give my attention to the headstone.

“I’m not sure how to do this.” I pause, still unsure of what I want to say. Diving in, I say what’s in my heart. “McKnight, I don’t really expect that you are here, but I hope in some way, you hear me. I would like to respond to the letter you wrote. Most importantly, I hope for your blessing of Cate’s hand. Just so you know, I asked her father and he approved, but I need your approval as well.” I blow out a breath. The guy wrote a letter that could have moved a mountain. “I can’t reply to your letter with words on a page, so here I am. You’re right that Cate is someone special. And I know that part of who she is today has been shaped by how you loved her. I’m grateful for that role you played in her life. I promise you I will treat her like she is the last of her kind because she is. I plan to only love one woman and she’s the one. She’s my bird and I promise to keep her heart safe and love her with all of me, the same way you did. She had no idea why we came, by the way. But it was important for me to tell you that she’s in the right hands before she walks down the aisle. I don’t ever expect her to stop loving you. I’m not that petty or jealous because I know she’s capable of loving both of us. You mean the world to her and I plan to do my best to make her as happy as you did. You are sorely missed and this woman, our hospital, this world was a better place with you in it. And without you, there is a part missing. I expect you to watch over our girl when I can’t. And may we meet again one day sometime very far in the future.”

Still holding Cate’s hand, I watch as she lays a bunch of flowers at the foot of the headstone. I didn’t ask why she chose the flowers she did. I figured they meant something and according to the web, they did. The white carnations represent remembrance. The purple lilacs mean first love and the gladiolas represents strength of character. They are great choices for everything I know about the man.

I hand Cate some tissues from my pocket. She gives me that shy smile she gave me the first day we met. Then I knew there was something special about her, but she’d been a colleague’s wife. Today, she will become mine.

We get to the church on time, but Cate’s mother still hustles her away. Something about me not seeing the bride on her wedding day.

I’m sent to the boys’ room where I find Mitch, Dave and Ben sitting around talking, looking hung over.

“Where have you been? Jenna’s furious you both missed the brunch buffet.”

“I had business to take care of,” I say offhandedly. Ben was Drew’s best friend, but what Cate and I did this morning is between us. If she chooses to share, she will.

Mitch laughs. “That’s code word for banging his bride before the wedding.”

He’s wrong about that. Jenna convinced Cate that us not having sex the month before the wedding would be good for the honeymoon. As much as I’ve tried to explain to Cate that my balls in fact do appear to be blue, she’s been unwilling to give me a second opinion. She tells me she’s just as needy as I am.

“No sex, thanks to his sister.” I point an accusatory finger at Ben.

He shrugs. “She has all kinds of stats on that shit.”

Dave just looks amused and changes the direction of the conversation. “Your sister is really hot. Is she still dating that guy?”

Ben’s eyes grow horns and appear as though they are glowing red. “I’ve heard enough about you two to know neither of you should ever think about my sister.”

Mitch laughs. “All’s fair in sex and booze at a wedding.”

Ben’s about to say something, but Dad knocks on the door. “Time.”

The guys eye me, but I’m not nervous. I want Cate with every fiber of my being. My only wildest fear is if she’ll break her promise and run. And even that fear has diminished over the last several months. I trust her completely.

At the altar, when they begin to play that familiar tune, I stand and stare at the door opening. I wait until Cate appears and when she does all the air is sucked out of my lungs. She’s so fucking beautiful I can only blink. Mitch taps my back and I remember to breathe.

Her hair is pulled back in some elaborate way I can’t focus on because her face is radiant and I still can’t quite believe she’s mine. My gaze lowers to the dress I hadn’t been allowed to see, let alone hear about. It isn’t quite white and has fabric that hangs purposefully off her shoulders, leaving her collarbones exposed. That skin alone is enough to get my dick hard. Like the sex deprived guy I am, I focus on the little amount of cleavage she has on display and lick my lips. I feel like an asshole as I try to hide my hard on as my gorgeous bride walks toward me with tulips that look almost white in her hand. But from what I overheard the bridesmaids say at the rehearsal dinner, they are actually a pale yellow. Knowing what I do about Cate, I’d searched for the meaning and yellow tulips means hopelessly in love. She has no idea that she’s talking about me because I’m just that far gone when it comes to her.

When her father hands her off to me, I don’t hear the minister. He spoke at the rehearsal, so I know what he plans to say. I stand in awe of my bride feeling like the luckiest bastard on the planet. Then I have a moment to say a prayer for feeling guilty. If not for Drew McKnight passing from this world, I wouldn’t have this opportunity. I know what I have to do. When it comes time, I am ready.

I take her hands in mine and stare into the windows of her soul because she needs to know I’ve never felt this way about anyone else and I never will. She is my first and my last, my only and now is the time to not only tell her, but tell the world.

“Cate McKnight, I knew when I met you I wasn’t your first love. That honor belonged to Drew McKnight. And his shoes won’t be easy to fill. I’m thankful to him for encouraging you to love again, thus giving me the greatest opportunity of a lifetime to spend it with you.” I want to glance at his parents who sit somewhere in the pews to the left of me, but I refuse to take my eyes off my girl. “I knew this when I decided you were the one with whom I wanted to share my life. Your beauty, your heart, and your mind encourage me to be the best person I can be. And I vow that I will do whatever it takes to be, if not your first, your last love. I promise to love you without reservation, encourage you to achieve all of your goals, laugh with you, comfort you in times of distress, always be open and honest with you, cherish and be faithful to you for as long as we both shall live. For this is my promise and my solemn vow.”

I see Cate’s tears and reluctantly, I let her hand go to produce a tissue from my pocket. This is something I did the first day we met and it seems as important. She smiles at me in a way that tells me she remembers as well, and dabs her eyes with it. Then she takes my hand again and it’s her turn.

“Drew Mercer, I didn’t think I could love again or even want to. When you came in my life, you came with your patience and understanding. You offered friendship and encouragement in my time of need. Our love wasn’t hurried. It came over time in a way that scared me at first, but made me feel secure in the end. Drew McKnight did leave big shoes to fill and not because he wore a size fourteen.” That gets a few laughs and even a chuckle from me. “But I know Drew would approve of you knowing you could handle the job. I promise from this day forward I will give you all my love and you will not walk alone. Your love is my anchor, your trust, my strength. I give you shelter for your heart and may my arms be your home. I willingly give you all that I am and all that I will become. My love for you has no beginning or no end. For this is my promise and my solemn vow.”

I want to kiss her now. I want to take her in my arms and tell her that her words are my own. But I wait as the minister has us say a few more things before he finally lets me kiss my bride. Her lips are my lifeline and I have to break it off, otherwise I’ll have a serious tent in my pants. When she pulls backs, she leans up again. Her lips slide against my cheek and up to my ear.

“There is one more thing I need to tell you, husband.”

I wait as everyone gets on their feet ready for us to walk down the aisle joined hand in hand.

“We’re having a baby.”

And I thought there was no greater joy in marrying the woman I love until I hear those words.

After pictures and the cutting of the cake, I can’t wait any longer.

“Where are we going?” Cate asks as I take her hand in mine and drag her along with me.

“The limo.” Her eyes grow in size and it only makes me harder. “Fuck Cate, you can’t look at me like that. I won’t last.”

The door is unlocked and the driver is nowhere in sight. I take her down NFL style, full on tackle. My hands gather more and more of her dress with no end in sight.

“How much fabric does this dress have?”

She laughs. “Wait, let me help you.”

She’s teasing me and she doesn’t know the state I’m in. Seeing her and not being able to touch her for the last month has made me lose all finesse. I kiss her hard and her teasing dies away. She fists her hand in my hair, tugging me closer and I know she’s as desperate as I am for me to be buried balls deep inside her.

There’s no need for a condom, as if I’d worn any since that first time without one—which explains the baby thing. After I dip two fingers inside her and find her wet and ready, I dive in.

I groan out my relief because she’s heaven. I languish being inside her skin to skin. When her nails dig in my ass, that’s her sign, telling me to move. I oblige and rock myself forward hard and at a steady pace.

“Harder,” she begs.

I lift her ass off the seat and angle her differently. I know just how to set her off and give her her first orgasm in seconds. Her pussy milks my dick, almost setting me off. But I’m not ready yet. It feels so damn good to be inside her again, I want it to last. So as a diversion, I think of work for a second and that halts everything. Leaning down, I capture her lips in a searing kiss. She tastes like the sweetest cake and I feel myself building again.

It isn’t long before I’m saying, “Fuck Cate, I’m going to come.”

My words rocket her second orgasm. Her back arches off the seat and I ride her all the way back down. My climax jars me so hard, I collapse on top of her when I’m done.

“I hope you believe me now that my balls really were a nice shade of blue.”

About eight months later, I stare into the eyes of the woman I love so completely, I’m mesmerized every time I look at her. I try not to smile at the frantic look on her face. She’s totally out of sorts as they wheel her into labor and delivery.

“Andy, don’t let go of my hand.” Her plea for my support does something to my chest and I feel almost like beating on it.

“Never,” I say gently as she squeezes the ever loving life out of it.

“It’s not fair, you’re all calm. You don’t have to push a turkey out of Louise. I mean how do they know she’s ready? She doesn’t have a basting button on the side of her head.”

“We doctors don’t know. We usually leave that up to the baby. That’s why our daughter has made her opinion known on the subject.”

Cate glares “You know it’s a girl, don’t you?” She whips out an accusatory finger pointed in my direction. “You said she. You promised it would be a surprise and you wouldn’t sneak and find out.”

They set the gurney in the room and prepare to shift her over to the specialized bed they use for the delivery. She doesn’t let go of my hand. I have to stretch in order not to pull her off it as I make my way around and next to her.

“I didn’t find out. You called her ‘a her’ and I went with it.”

Her eyes narrow and I swear the chuckle I’m holding in will burst out of me. Before she can say anything else, her face gathers at the brow, pinching in pain. “Andy, I want pain medication.”

It had been Cate’s idea to go without meds. I’d supported her decision either way. “Okay, let me see if Dr. Yancey is on the floor.”

I’m about to let her go when a man walks in as Cate continues to squeeze my hand like it’s an orange and she’s trying to make juice. The man holds a chart, but I don’t recognize him.

“Dr. Carter,” Cate says in surprise.

His face grows a smile at my wife in a way that says he’s familiar with her. “Mrs. Mercer, it’s good to see you again.”

I hold up a finger. “A moment.”

He glances up at me and I’m sure he’s dealt with plenty of fathers over the years.

“Sure.”

When Cate’s pain passes, I kiss her knuckles. “I’ll be right back. I’m just going to step over here and talk to Dr. Carter.” I nod at the nurse and she steps over to reassure Cate while I confer with the good doctor.

Three steps and I stand to one side of the room with the other man. He gets the jump on the conversation to come.

“Dr. Mercer, your wife has nothing but great things to say about you. I’m sorry we haven’t met. Apparently, the two times I had the pleasure of seeing your wife, you had emergencies that kept you away.”

I take his proffered hand and shake it.

“Nice to meet you Dr. Carter. My wife mentioned you.” She had. She hadn’t said he was a he. Not that it should matter. I get to the heart of the matter. “Cate wanted to go without an epidural; however, she’s changed her mind.”

“I’m sure you know it all depends on how far along she is. Can you tell me about her contractions?”

I run down medically how labor began with her water breaking and what we did since that point. We’d opted to stay at home where I walked with her, rubbed her back and generally got her through the pain until this point. Last checked, I clocked the contractions at about five minutes apart and told him so. Although things had progressed on the drive over, she’d been so worried, I found myself talking to her instead of timing the pauses between her pain.

“As long as she’s not crowning, I can send the order for an Anesthesiologist to come down.”

“Andy, I think I need to push.”

Dr. Carter and I turn to see Cate. Her face is strained like she’s physically holding herself back. Frozen, we both watch as the nurse checks her.

“Dr. Carter, I think it’s time.”

He glances at me and I feel like an ass. He’s a doctor, not a pervert. I nod giving him permission to do his job as I quickly make my way over to Cate.

“It’s too late isn’t it?” she asks.

I give her my hand and push tendrils of hair off her forehead. “Let’s see what the doc says.”

Dr. Carter gives us the news. “Go ahead and push Cate the next time you feel it.”

And just like that, my gorgeous wife pushes our son into the world.

Over five years later, I steer my car through the streets of DC to get home. Traffic is ridiculous despite it being before rush hour. I’d hoped to be home by now. I pull into our Great Falls neighborhood in Virginia, just outside of DC. Our home is lit up and a smile forms on my face. When we first bought the place, Cate had been reluctant. I sold her on the safety of the neighborhood and good schools.

When I open the door, the real reasons for the large five bedroom house come running toward me.

“Daddy,” shouts my two and half year old daughter. Her blonde curls bounce as she wraps herself around my leg. I pry her off so I can toss her up and catch her, sending her into a fit of giggles. Her pink princess dress circles her before she lands in my arms. “Daddy, Dew called me a baby and said I need a labodomee. What’s a labodomee?”

I laugh for several reasons. One because she hasn’t yet mastered the word Drew, opting to call him Dew instead. Ethan had proved too much for her as well. Two, a lobotomy. I shake my head wondering where he hears this stuff.

“Ethan,” I call out. I had intended to ask my five-year-old about school. Instead, I will have to address his treatment of his sister.

My son with his dark hair so much like his mother’s is decked out in scrubs and carrying a doctor’s bag. He strolls around the corner as if all’s well in the world wearing a plastic stethoscope around his neck.

I bend down so we can talk man to man. “Ethan, let’s talk like men.”

“Then call me Drew, Daddy, just like Grandma calls you. I wanna be a man, just like you, Daddy.”

It’s hard to maintain my parental look. “Okay, Drew, did you call your sister a baby?”

His face changes to remorseful as I’m sure he knows he’s in trouble. “Emma cries too much and babies cry. So she’s a baby.”

I can’t argue with that logic and good thing my daughter who clings to my chest chimes in.

“He says my castle is just a bed, not a princess castle.”

I sigh. “Drew—”

“Dad, she’s needs a reality check.”

I chuckle unable to stop it. “Where did you hear that?”

“Mom said that to Aunt Shannon.”

I shake my head only imaging the conversation that preceded that statement. “You need to be nice to your sister and not tell her she needs a lobotomy.”