Page 89 of Monstrosity
"Is Dasha awake?" she asks.
"Not yet. Should we make her favorite?"
"Blueberry with the crispy edges!"
"Exactly."
Cali joins us ten minutes later, drawn by the smell of bacon. "Pancakes on a not-Sunday? What's happening?"
"Dad has exciting news," Florencia informs her sister. "It requires a special breakfast."
"Is it a puppy?" Cali asks hopefully.
"Better than a puppy," I tell her.
"Nothing's better than a puppy," she says seriously, but she climbs into her chair, ready to listen.
Dasha appears as I'm plating the last pancake, wearing one of my t-shirts and looking soft and sleepy. "Morning, family. What's all this?"
"Daddy has news!" Cali announces. "And it's better than a puppy, which I don't believe is possible."
"That's a pretty high bar," Dasha agrees, kissing each girl's head before coming to kiss me. "Morning, handsome."
"Morning, beautiful." I pull her close for a moment. "Ready for this?"
"Ready," she confirms, and I can see the excitement dancing in her eyes.
We all settle at the table, girls bouncing with anticipation.
I clear my throat, suddenly nervous.
How do you tell kids their world is about to change, even if it's for the better?
"So," I start, reaching for Dasha's hand. "You know how Dasha's been living with us?"
"Forever," Cali says. "Like two whole weeks."
"Right. Well, last night I asked Dasha a very important question."
"What kind of question?" Florencia asks, but I can see she's already figuring it out, her eyes going wide.
"I asked her to marry me," I say simply. "To be my wife and officially be your?—"
The explosion of screams drowns out whatever I was going to say.
Both girls launch themselves at us, talking over each other in their excitement.
"You're getting married!"
"Dasha's going to be our real mom!"
"Can I be a flower girl?"
"Can we have a big cake?"
"Will you wear a princess dress?"
"Can we get matching dresses?"
