Page 69 of Wicked & Wildflower

I’ve never had someone do that for me either.

“Anything, baby.” He reaches out to take my hand, running his thumb over the back of it. “Do you want me to just go in and grab her? You can wait in the car.”

I tighten my fingers around his. “You can’t.” I sigh. “There is an approved pick-up list, and anyone not on it can’t leave the building with the student. The only people on my list are Darby and your mom.”

He nods, opening the passenger side door and rounding the car to open mine. He holds his hand out to me, pulling me from the car and lacing his fingers through my own. He doesn’t let go as we walk through the parking lot into the school.

Tana’s head snaps up from her desk as we step through the front entrance. The cheerful greeting on her face dies as she realizes it’s me before she recovers with a false smile. “Dahlia, hi.” Long, dark hair is pulled back into a clean bun, her brown eyes crinkling in the corners when she forces a grin. “What can I help you with?”

“I’m here to pick up Lou. I’m sneaking her out a bit early.” I don’t mean for my tone to come out flat and hard, but it does anyway. I can’t fake it today.

Everett’s hand tightens around mine, as if he can sense it too.

Tana begins typing something into the computer in front of her. “Is there an official reason you’re picking her up before the school day has concluded?”

“Because I’m her mother and I can take her out of class if I’d like to,” I snap back.

I can feel the judgment seeping off her. I understood the undertones in her question, her questioning of my parenting skills because I’m letting my kid play hooky.

Truthfully, I don’t have a good reason for taking her out other than it’s the Friday before Christmas break, and I’ve done this ever since Lou started school. I take a half day from work, I pick her up early, and we make gingerbread houses while watching our favorite holiday movies. I realized pretty early on that childhood flies by far too fast, and missing three hours of school is a small price to pay in exchange for family tradition.

Especially when I brought her into a shit excuse for a family, with no tradition to speak of. This is our tradition with my sister, and for the first time in her life, she asked others to be included. She wanted Leo, Everett, and their parents to join us, and there was no way I’d take that away from her, even if it meant she was missing class.

Tana’s hands pause on her keyboard, and her eyes flutter up to me. “When I sign her out for the day, it asks me to enter a reason for the absence. I was only asking.”

“Sorry.” I sigh. “She’s, uh, she’s not feeling well.”

Tana humphs but doesn’t say more.

“While I’m here, can I go ahead and add a couple of people to her pick-up list as well? You should have Darby Andrews and Monica Ramos already listed.”

“We do,” Tana responds without looking up from the computer. “Who would you like to add?”

“Everett Ramos and Leo Graham.”

Her head snaps up at the same time Everett’s whips sideways. “Really?” Tana asks.

I turn to face Everett. “If you’d like to. I just figured…”

I trust youis what I really want to say.

And again, like the man can read my mind, he smiles. “Thank you.”

Tana snorts, shaking her head. “And to think we were all taking bets on how long you two would last.” She smiles at me, but I see the sneer beneath it. “Looks like you’re proving us wrong.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Everett asks, tone dripping with disgust. “You were placing bets on the relationships of parents your children go to school with?”

“N–Not just me,” she backtracks quickly. “Just some of the other parents from the soccer team. It was all in good fun. No harm meant.”

“It’s fucking weird,” he mutters.

Tana has the good sense to look embarrassed. I remain quiet, though, because I’m in no way surprised.

After a moment of awkward silence, she clears her throat and says, “I’ve added Everett and Leo to the approved pick-up list. Her teacher has been notified that she’s leaving early. She should be up here in a few minutes.”

“Thanks,” I respond, tone clipped. “We’ll wait in the lobby.”

As I turn back toward the doors, Everett calls out, “Oh, and Tana—whoever bet on forever is going to win the pot.”

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