Page 204 of Ice Darling
More chuckles. More smiles. More soft sighs of agreement.
“I’m about to start crying. Pregnancy makes me so emotional.”
Rounds of “Same” and “Wait until you get further along” ring out.
“So I’ll wrap this up with a toast.” Gwen raises her juice-filled champagne glass. “To my mom for showing me how to prepare for anything. And to Delia, for inspiring me to take that first step into adventure, even if you never feel ready. May you never lose that spark, Dee-Dee.”
Gwen stares at the camera for a beat as if she knows that one day her sister will watch. And then her model face creeps back into her expression, and she smiles primly at her guests, slipping back into her performance.
Chapter Sixty-Nine
Renthrow
“Daddy, I want to wear my princess dress to Vinnie’s today,” Gordie says, turning her motorcycle toy around and around.
“Sweetheart, you can’t wear a princess dress to a playdate.”
“Why not?” She twists from between my legs to look at me.
I pause with the brush halfway to her hair. That’s a good question. Why can’t she again?
“We need to wash it first, and Daddy only does laundry on Sundays, not Saturdays,” I inform her, running the brush through her hair and then holding one side tight in my fist.
Gordie makes a disgruntled sound and continues turning her toy around.
I finish with one ponytail, dip my fingers into the hair cream, and apply it to the next half of her head. Then I scoop that part up and tie it with a ponytail.
“All done.” I lean over to give Gordie a kiss on the forehead.
She pouts at me, her mouth scrunched.
With a sigh, I offer, “How about I put bows in your ponytails today?”
She brightens and whips her head up and down in agreement.
After I’ve added two pink Hello Kitty-themed bows to her hair, I get a message from the second-hand store.
It’s your lucky day. We’ve got exactly one in stock.
Nice.
“Gordie,” I say, pocketing my phone.
“Hm.” My daughter tears her attention away from her reflection in the mirror and looks at me. “Yes, Daddy?”
I take her hand and kneel in front of her. “What do you think about us hanging out with Cordelia more?”
Gordie brightens. “Will we see Delia today?”
If I have my way.
“I’m not sure,” I answer hesitantly. “But I’d like her to be with us as much as I can.”
“How much?” Her eyes are filling with wonder and excitement.
“Uh…” I tug my collar away from my neck, suddenly hot. “I’d like her to spend her evenings with us. And sometimes, she might even have dinner with us and tuck you into bed at night.”
And I might return the favor later.
