Let's Be Crazy (Oh Captain, My Captain 4)

I pretend to misunderstand her. “You’ll carry it for her? That’s so sweet of you.” I hand my card to him and pay. As we walk out of the aquarium to my truck, I ask Lexie, “Where are we going to feed the munchkins?”

“There’s a small diner around the corner. We could go there?”

“Sounds good to me.”

We’re sitting at a table in the diner with Reed and me on one side and Lexie and Sadie on the other when Sadie frowns.

“Mommy, why can’t I sit with Reed?” she whines. “He’s my best friend.”

“Do you want to switch seats with me, Sadie?” I offer.

“Yes.” She quickly climbs over Lexie’s lap and takes my vacated seat.

“I would have moved, Sadie,” Lexie mumbles. “I’m not a jungle gym.”

She laughs and I motion for Lexie to move. “Scoot, Lexie. I’m not as little as Sadie, so I can’t climb over you.”

The kids laugh, she rolls her eyes, and as soon as I sit down, Reed goes, “Do they have chicken nuggets here?”

“They have chicken fingers. It’s similar,” Lexie answers.

Sadie’s brows pull together. “Do chickens have fingers?”

“Well, I hope they are as good as their nuggets,” Reed says seriously.

Lexie tries to hide her giggling as I ask them, “I thought we were trying something new? I will, if you do, Reed.”

He seems to think about it first. “Okay. You want to try too, Sadie?”

She doesn’t hesitate. “Yes. What about you, Mommy?”

“Sure, why not?” Lexie nudges her elbow against mine. “Let’s be crazy, right?”

I smile. “Let’s be crazy.” After scanning the menu, I glance at everyone. “Can I pick? Do you guys trust me to choose?”

They nod, but I notice that Reed hesitates. He should know that I eat more like him than his mom. When the waiter comes to take our order, I tell him that we’ll have salmon patties. Reed immediately makes a disgusted sound.

“Dad, that sounds gross.”

“We’ll have to try it to find out. It might be better than you think. Right, Lexie?” I angle myself towards her a little and slide my hand from my thigh to hers, squeezing it gently.

Her voice cracks as she replies, “Yep, you’re right.”

“I’m always right. Aren’t I, Reed?”

He nods. “Yes, sir.” With a smile, he repeats words I’m sure he’s heard Brooke mutter before. “No one likes a know-it-all, though.”

Chapter Eleven

Lexie

Ashton’s hand is on my thigh, and my daughter is sitting across from me. His thumb rubs circles on my outer thigh. I can feel the heat rising through my blood.

“Mommy, do you have my crayons?”

I nod, feeling Ashton move his hand as I reach into my purse. “Here you go, and you both need to share.”

The kids agree and begin to color the backs of the menus, which have kids’ puzzles on them.