A Secret for a Secret (All In 3)

“Lavender? Hey, sweetheart, I didn’t realize you were here.” Alex gives me a look that’s halfway between questioning and apologetic.

Lavender hops off her chair and rushes over to her dad. He scoops her up and plants loud kisses all over her face. She giggles and then snuggles right into his neck.

I bet every pair of underwear I own that Kingston would be exactly the same kind of dad. And that thought makes my lady parts excited. Which is crazy, because I’m only twenty-four and I’m in no way ready for kids. We haven’t even dropped the L bomb on each other.

“Is everything okay? Where’s Vi?”

I stop staring at Kingston and address Alex. “River isn’t feeling well, so Violet took him to the doctor. She was hoping she could leave Lavender with you, but since you were in a meeting, I volunteered to hang out with my favorite budding artist.”

“Is River okay?”

“Violet thinks he might have the flu.” I look at my phone to check how long she’s been gone. “I have messages from her. Hold on.” I pull them up and scan them quickly. “Yup, it’s the flu. She’s going to take him home and get the nanny to come over to watch him so she can come back and get Lavender.”

“When did Violet drop her off?” He adjusts his hold on Lavender so she can effectively wrap her arms around his neck without choking him.

“Maybe a little more than an hour ago.”

He rubs the space between his eyes and then kisses his little girl’s cheek. “Jake, I might need to run Lavender home. I don’t want Vi to have to leave River with the nanny if he’s sick.”

“Or we could take her,” Kingston offers. “Queenie and I, I mean. I don’t need to be on the ice for a couple of hours.”

Alex looks conflicted. “Lavender, would it be okay with you if Queenie and Kingston took you home?”

She rubs the space between her dad’s eyes and then leans in, whispering something in his ear.

“I’m okay, honey. It’s just work stuff and nothing you need to worry about.”

She places her hand on his cheek and says quietly, but audibly, “Okay. I go with Keenie and King.”

He blinks a bunch of times, clearly taken aback that she’s answered without whispering in his ear, which is pretty typical, from what I’ve witnessed. “Okay. That’s great.” He kisses her on the cheek and sets her down.

Together she and I put away all her art supplies. It takes far less time with me helping than it does when it’s her brother.

“Oh, this is for you. Do you want to put it in your sketch pad?” I pass her the crayon portrait.

Alex leans in so he can have a look. “You drew this? I didn’t know you were an artist.”

I wave off the comment. “It’s just a crayon doodle.”

“That makes it even more amazing. You know, if you get tired of working for this guy, you can teach Lavender art classes.” He thumbs over his shoulder at my dad.

I laugh at that. “I’m not sure that’s a great way to earn a living, but I’m always happy to spend time with Lavender.”

Once she’s all packed up, we head out to the parking lot, and Alex hands over his car keys, which is easier than moving the car seat into Kingston’s SUV.

“You want me to drive your car?” Kingston stares at the keys like they’re acid-soaked zombie piranhas.

“You’re the safest driver I know. Much safer than my wife, but don’t ever tell her I said that. You either,” he says to Lavender.

She gives him a coy little smile but makes the zipped-lips sign and lets him buckle her into her car seat. Kingston and I get in the car, and he turns the engine over. It’s another two minutes of seat and mirror adjustments before Kingston is ready to leave the parking spot. I turn the radio on, and a familiar song comes on. I glance in the rearview mirror and smile as Lavender shimmies in her seat. “You know this song?”

She nods.

“Want me to turn up the volume?” Kingston isn’t a huge fan of loud music in the car, because he worries he won’t be able to hear emergency vehicles, but turning it up a little louder can’t hurt.

She gives me a thumbs-up, little head bobbing to “Fireflies” by Owl City. When we get to the chorus, I sing along. I can carry a tune most of the time, and it’s a catchy song. What I don’t expect at all, and apparently neither does Kingston, is for Lavender to start singing too. Not only can she draw but she has an incredible little set of lungs on her. I find her absolutely fascinating.

When we arrive at Alex and Vi’s house, we get to see the real Lavender. The one who speaks above a whisper. In full sentences. Lavender insists that Kingston and I see her bedroom and her art room. Violet puts the kibosh on the bedroom, since her brother is currently sleeping and they share a room, but I get to see where she obviously spends a lot of time. The room has great light and a balcony. The floors are covered in some kind of easy-to-clean vinyl, but the walls are what grab my attention. One wall boasts chalkboard paint, and the rest are covered in poster paper that turns the majority of the room into a massive changeable canvas.