Page 178 of Banter & Blushes

But running from theirproblemswas not okay.

Being a parent is hard. When we found them—and I knew we would—I’d have to find a way to reassure them they were safe and loved but still let them know what they did was wrong. If this was all a result of a prank gone awry, as Hallie said, they would have to apologize. But was that enough of a consequence for six-year-olds?

I gestured for Arwyn to hop into the front seat of the golf cart, but she shook her head and sat in the second row with me. She squeezed my hand and called her mother to explain the situation.

“Someone’s already checked out the cottage, and there are staffers searching the area. Meggie thinks they went to the barn. Can you think of any other place they might hide?” Arwyn closed her eyes and squeezed my hand harder. “Okay. We’ll see you there.”

She turned to me. “Jack already called her, and she’s almost at the barn. She said she told him exactly what she thinks of the camp staff’s negligence and recommended more rigorous safety training.”

It hadn’t even occurred to me yet that the staff had fallen short of keeping our girls safe.

The stables loomed ahead on the path, lit by old-fashioned streetlamps. As we neared it, I jumped out of the golf cart and ran at top speed for the open barn door. All the lights were on inside.

I stopped to listen at the entrance, heard the sound of my girls crying, and froze.

CHAPTER 10

ARWYN

When the golf cart slowed to a stop, I slid out of my seat and walked to Zaki. He was standing at the entrance to the barn, shoulders slumped with his hands in his pockets. In the distance, I heard the girls crying. Why hadn’t he gone right to them?

“Hey.” I slipped my hand into one of his pockets and took hold of his fingers. “Are you okay?”

He shook his head and wiped his eyes with his other hand. “Why did they run? Why didn’t they come to me? What do I say to them?”

I rested my head on the singed shoulder of his shirt. “You remind them that you love them more than anything. That nothing they could ever do or say would make you stop loving them. That it’s okay to make mistakes. Reassure them you know they weren’t trying to hurt anyone but always try to think about what can go wrong when they plan a prank. That there will be consequences—in this case, the cake, the arch, and a bunch of shirts.”

He smiled. “Thank you.”

“Anytime.”

We walked hand in hand past the horses to the tack room. Isla and Amelie clung to Meggie, crying into her dress as she sat on a bale of hay. Standing off to the side were Flynn; two of Meggie’s bridesmaids, Maddie and Mellie; and my mom. Laffy and Vennie sat leashed at Alyce’s feet, tails wagging.

I let go of Zaki’s hand and approached the girls, giving each of their backs alight rub. “You’re okay. Your daddy is here.” I glanced up, and there he was, wearing a soft, protective expression. His eyes held the kind of warmth that cocooned you like a heavy quilt—gentle and secure—but I caught that hint of pain that was tearing him up on the inside. The slight lift of his brows, the way he pressed his lips together—everything about him on the outside radiated quiet reassurance and an air of maturity he didn’t often reveal in public.

Meggie nudged them off her lap and stood. Zaki crouched and opened his arms. They ran to him with tears clinging to their lashes and streaking down their cheeks, and he lifted them off the ground. Their little legs closed around his waist, and I noticed their bare, dirty feet. They’d come all this way with no shoes?!

“Daddy, I pranked wrong and ruined the cake!” Amelie wailed. “And then the fire!”

“It was my idea, too!” Isla cried. “All the camp pranks started because of me.”

“Daddy! Your shirt!” Amelie cried. “Did you burn in the fire?”

“No. I used my shirt to help put it out.” He reached around Isla and poked a finger through a hole where a button used to be. “It’s a new style. I kinda like it. Natural air-conditioning. What do you think?” He sat down on the hay bale and settled a girl on each leg so that they faced each other.

I’d tell him later whatIthought.

My eyes couldn’t help but linger—just for a second—on the way Zaki’s shirt clung in places and hung loose in others, its hem scorched, collar frayed, and little holes scattered across the fabric like confetti. He should’ve looked ridiculous. But sitting there, with both girls curled into him, their cheeks streaked with tears, he looked like the hero of an action movie—messy but solid and steady. There was a rawness to the moment, rugged and tender, and it hit me low in my chest. That sharp, quiet ache of love I could never quite name but always felt like falling and finding home at the same time.

The girls weren’t impressed with his antics. Isla and Amelie just stared at him, incredulous. Then they laughed.

I let out a long breath.

They were going to be okay.

Mom handed me the leashes. “I’ll run back to the cottage and get them shoes,” she whispered.

“Thanks,” I whispered back.

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