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“Hi, Daddy!” she says waving her hand and patting the seat next to her for me to sit.
“You slept late,” Margot says without looking up from her phone.
“Yeah, I was uh…up late.” I try not to let my eyes drift to the gorgeous reason I was up late sitting on the other side of the table next to SJ. “Why are you guys all dressed?” I say as I make a cup of coffee.
“I’m going to the away soccer game and we are all meeting at the school at noon.” Margot looks up from her phone. “And then I’m sleeping over at Mel’s.”
“I want to talk about that before you leave.” I don’t miss the eye roll before she gets up from the table in a skirt that seems a little too short for a soccer game in October despite her tights underneath.
“Fine. Leaving in thirty!”She tells me.
“Thanks for coming tomysoccer game!” SJ calls after her and Margot peeks her head back in.
“Since when do you care?”
He puts a hand over his chest. “I always care. I am hurt,” he says with his usual sarcasm.
“You’ll get over it. Good luck though.” She blows him a kiss before she disappears.
Isla hops up from her chair and moves to the corner of the kitchen to grab something sitting on the floor. When she comes back, she holds up a sign that’s almost as tall as her. The sign says ‘Go Sawyer! #14’written in bright blue paint.“Look what Ellie and I made!”
SJ wrinkles his nose. “You are not bringing that,” he says as he looks at his little sister.
“Yes huh! Ellie said we could,” Isla responds instantly.
“Can we not? That’s so embarrassing,” he retorts.
“Oh, come on, I think it’s cute!” Ellie says. “She even used your favorite color. She worked hard on it, SJ.”
“No one else is going to have a sign.” SJ looks to me, I assume to be of some help but I shake my head.
“Your sister cared enough to make you this sign. Sounds like no one else has anyone that cares about them coming to their games,” I interject, and Ellie glares at me.
“Not true! But Isla’s still bringing it.”
SJ groans. “Fine.”
“What time are you guys leaving?” I ask, knowing that I should know this but I don’t always make his soccer games. I think I’ve only made one of the five so far this season. I usually use this day to work with no interruptions because Isla either goes to the game too or goes to Sabrina’s for the day.
“Maybe thirty minutes?” Ellie tells me.
“Okay, I’m just going to shower, and I’ll leave with you,” I tell them and SJ’s eyes immediately widen.
“No way. You’re coming?” SJ asks, and I hate the way the shock is so evident in his tone.
“Yeah…if that’s okay?”
His face lights up and seeing him so excited warms my heart.“Hell yeah.”
“Hell yeah!” Isla repeats and I glare at Sawyer and then at Isla all the while I see Ellie trying to hide a smile behind her hand.
“You both know better.”
“He said it first!” Isla giggles before she holds up her sign over her head as best she can. “Go Sawyer, hell yeah!” she repeats and I look at her.
“Isla Jude, you have one more before you’re in trouble.”
She looks at Ellie and giggles before she skips around the table and climbs into her lap. “Sorry, Daddy!”