Page 226 of Wild Then Wed
“I like him. But he sniffed my butt one time. It’s okay, though. Dogs don’t knowboundaries. My dad’salwaystelling me about boundaries.” She huffs and rolls her eyes for dramatic effect. “It’s pretty annoying.”
Sawyer clears his throat like he’s trying not to laugh.
I smile, stifling a laugh of my own. “You’re very forgiving.”
“I’m five,” she says with a shrug. “I know a lot already.”
And somehow, I believe her. I glance down at the sheer number of Band-Aids on her arms and legs.
“I like your Band-Aids,” I tell her. “Very decorative.”
She immediately perks up. “Thanks. I picked them all out myself. Wanna see?”
Before I can answer, she’s already twisting sideways in Sawyer’s arms, her little fingers pointing to each one in order. “This one’s Bluey. She’s my favorite,” she says, touching her knee. “And this one’s Bingo, her sister. And this one has glitter but it’s not a character, it’s just sparkly. Still good, though.”
I reach out and gently touch the one on her forearm, the corner starting to peel a little. “Ariel,” I say. “She was my favorite princess when I was your age.”
Nora looks up at me like I’ve just passed some kind of secret test. “Really?”
I nod. “She had red hair like me. I thought maybe we were cousins.”
She gasps a little. “Youdokinda look like her!” She leans closer, inspecting my hair like she’s about to make a formal ruling on the matter. Then she beams, satisfied. “Even your eyes are the same. But you don’t have a mermaid tail.”
“Not that you’ve seen.”
Sawyer lets out a quiet laugh beside me, and Nora giggles, delighted. “You know what? You’re funny.”
She turns again, showing me the Band-Aids on her other leg. “These ones are my favorites.” She points to two overlapping ones. “Bluey with sunglasses, and Blueywith a hat.”
I nod solemnly. “That’s some next-level Bluey.”
“Iknow. I saved them for last.”
She glances between me and Sawyer then, her voice dropping to a dramatic whisper. “Some people think I pretend to get hurt just so I can wear them.”
Sawyer raises an eyebrow. “Some people?”
Nora shrugs. “Just daddy.”
He laughs and shifts her higher on his hip. “I mean, the stats don’t lie, kid.”
Nora shrugs again, the movement dramatic and exaggerated like she’s trying to shake off the accusation. “I can’t help that I want to wear all of them!”
I laugh. “You’ve got good taste.”
She giggles, clearly pleased with herself. “You’vegot good taste. ‘Cause you married my Uncle Sawyer.”
Then she turns her head to look at him. “And you have good taste, too,” she adds. “Because you married real-life Ariel. Maybe you’ll find out if she actually has a tail and you can tell me.”
Sawyer laughs, low and easy, his eyes flicking to me like he’s filing that away forever.
Before I can say anything else, Crew appears beside us holding a plate stacked with fruit and a cinnamon roll that looks offensively good.
He jerks his chin toward the table. “Alright, let’s go, sugar gremlin. Time to eat.”
Nora’s eyes lock onto the cinnamon roll like she’s just spotted a mythical creature. “Whoa!” She slides right out of Sawyer’s arms and scrambles to the table, curls bouncing.
“You have to eatallthe fruit on your plate,” Crew calls after her.
