“Fine. But no photos.”
“I’m just trying to help you, Daddy. You’ve been so grumpy lately.”
Suddenly, he grabbed her around the waist, pulling her onto his lap. He gave her a serious look. “I’m sorry. Have I been that grouchy?”
“It’s okay, Daddy. I know you’ve been stressed with everything going on.”
“That’s no excuse to be grouchy with my jelly bean. I’m sorry.” He kissed her nose. “Right, let’s do this.”
She could barely contain her giggles as she led him outside. It was late afternoon and Wolfe and Aleki knew to meet them at the sandpit which Aleki had built for her. She had spent so much time playing in it.
“Come on, Daddy. Go faster.” She tugged at his hand while holding Piggles with the other. Piggles was all dressed up for the occasion in his own tutu with a crown on his head. It was similar to the tiara she’d set on Caleb’s head.
They came around the corner of the house to where the sandpit was set up with a giant shade sail over it.
Aleki and Wolfe stared at them for a moment. Then Aleki burst into laughter. He laughed so hard he fell to his knees.
“Papa, that’s not nice!” she scolded. “Stop laughing. Don’t worry, Daddy. I think you looks beautiful.”
“Uh-huh.” He gave her a skeptical look.
“Nice tiara,” Wolfe told Caleb. “Goes well with the tutu. Not sure about the clown make-up, though.”
“Jelly bean,” he said warningly.
“The make-up looks beautiful.” It didn’t. It was horrid. The lipstick was all smudged around his mouth and he had one eye done up with green eye shadow and the other with blue. Blush had been applied in two circles on his cheeks.
Clown wasn’t far off it.
“Come on, Daddy. In you go. You have to stand in the sandpit for this part.”
He grumbled but stepped into the sandpit.
“Wait, wait.” Aleki wiped the tears from his cheeks. He stood and drew out his phone, quickly taking a few photos.
“Hey! I said no photos!” Caleb snapped.
“Too late. This is too funny not to take a photo.”
“Papa, be nice. Now, is everyone ready?”
Aleki and Wolfe knew the plan and nodded. She reached into the basket that Aleki had bought out and grabbed three tubes of glitter and three magic wands. She started skipping around the sandpit, flinging glitter and singing, her wand flying through the air. Aleki joined her, still breathless with laughter. Wolfe just stood there and watched.
And Caleb, well, he suffered through as much as he could. When she was finished, Caleb grabbed Wolfe’s tube of glitter and dumped it over Aleki’s head while the other man laughed so hard, he cried. Grabbing Piggles, she sat and watched.
It had taken a while for them to work out who they could trust with the information on the flash drive, but yesterday her father had been arrested for a whole list of things. He was going away for a long time. There hadn’t been anything on the flash drive against Roger Mitel, but the person heading the investigation was promising to lean on her father to get him to talk.
For the first time in years, she felt completely and utterly free. Happy. Loved.
“Piggles, it’s no longer just you and me. Piggles, not now that we have a family.”
She reached over to pinch herself.
“No pinching,” they all called out together.
She couldn’t help but giggle.
Let’s keep in touch!