Page 58

fifty-seven

Lane

Olive

Are you home yet?

Lane

Miss me, Ballerina?

Olive

Of course, I do

You’ve been away for a week

Lane

I know

I miss you, too, baby

And Sage

I’m not used to not having her with me for every away series

Olive

Sorry not sorry

She needed to practice for her recital this weekend

Lane

I can’t wait to watch you dance with her

Olive

You just want to see me in a leotard

Lane

I sure as hell won’t complain about that

Olive

I’m sure you won’t

But you never answered my question

Are you home yet?

Lane

We just landed

I’m grabbing Sage from Rory, and then we’re getting ready

We’ll be over for dinner soon

Olive

I can’t wait

Neither can Harvey…

“You ready, Lovebug?” I say, peering down at my daughter as we come to a stop in front of the Finch rowhome in Greenwich Village.

“Yes!” Sage says excitedly as I open the ivy-covered gate, and we step down the stone path.

We walk up the front steps, and before I get the chance to knock, Eileen swings the front door open. “There’s my favorite little ballerina!”

“Eiween!” Sage shrieks, running into her arms. My girl is obsessed with the members of the Finch family, and it makes me so fucking happy.

“Do you want to come help me and Olive’s dad in the kitchen?” Sage nods happily, and Eileen turns to me. “We’re so happy you guys are joining us tonight. Liv is in the living room with the others.”

“Thanks, Eileen,” I say, stepping over the threshold and closing the door behind me.

I catch the sound of laughter, and I follow it, knowing I’ll find Olive on the other end. I walk down the hallway and carefully peer around the corner, and I see Liv standing with her back to me as she talks to Harvey, Michelle, Violet, and Luna.

And I’m nothing if not an opportunist.

I tiptoe around the corner, finger to my lips, signaling to the others to keep quiet. When I get right behind Olive, I wrap my arms around her waist and lift her into the air; all the while, she screams in front of me.

“What the hell?!” After I spin her around, I put her back on the ground, and she finally turns around. When she notices it’s me, she lights up with a bright smile and then jumps back into my arms. “Lane!”

“Hey, Ballerina,” I grin and hug her tight. “I missed you.”

“I missed you, too,” she says lightly, kissing me gently before I finally let her out of my arms again.

“Oh my God, Liv!” Michelle says happily. “This is so cute!”

Olive chuckles as she turns around to face them again, leaning back against my chest. “Sorry about that.”

“Bright pink,” Luna states.

I peer down at Liv and wonder what the hell Luna is talking about. She’s in a blue sundress right now. Not pink at all.

“She’s not wearing pink,” I say, looking at her curiously. Everyone around me laughs heartily, leaving me even more confused. “Am I missing something?”

“Your auras,” Luna adds with a smile.

“Our… auras?”

Liv smiles up at me. “Lu is really into all things New Age. And pink auras mean you have a strong romantic connection with someone.”

“Then color me pink,” I smirk before leaning down and kissing her.

Harvey watches us in excitement. “Holy shit, Lane Brooks is my brother-in-law.”

Olive stares at him with wide eyes as Violet softly pushes his arm. “He’s not our brother-in-law, Harv. Jesus Christ, Liv’s in love with the man. Don’t scare him away.”

As usual, Liv blushes, leaving her cheeks the perfect rosy tint. “What makes you think I’m in love with him?”

I peer down at her with a devious smirk. “All those times you’ve told me you loved me would probably do it.”

Violet throws her head back and laughs. “That, and she told Harv and me that she was in love with you a few weeks ago.”

“Wouldn’t that have been before I told you I loved you?” I ask her curiously.

She blushes deeper. “Thank you, Vi and Harv, for not keeping anything to yourselves.” She sighs and looks back at me. “Yes, it was before that.”

“Just giving you a hard time,” I smile gently. “I know you weren’t ready to say it then, and that’s still okay.”

Olive smiles and presses her forehead against mine. “Thank you. I do love you, though.”

“I know you do,” I reply, brushing my thumb over her cheek.

“Our baby sister fell in love with the porn star,” Violet says to Harvey.

And I whip my head at her so quickly I’m surprised I don’t end up with whiplash. “What?”

“Vi!” Liv shouts, cheeks now flaming scarlet. “I told you not to bring that up!”

“It slipped!” she replies, hands covering her mouth. “I swear!”

“Okay, I need someone to fill me in here,” I state. “Did you just call me a porn star?”

“I promise it’s an inside joke,” Violet says warily. “She came to my and Lu’s place after she met you that first day. You didn’t tell her your name, and you said you worked in entertainment. So I might have asked her if that meant you were a porn star.”

I laugh so hard I have to wipe the tears from my eyes. “She says entertainment, and your mind immediately goes to porn? Damn, Vi. I gotta know what she said to that.”

“Oh God…” Olive sighs.

“That she didn’t need a porn star, but you had the look that would work for that.”

“Is that so?” I gaze at her with a shit-eating grin. “I’m flattered, Liv.”

“I’m disowning you, Violet,” Liv groans.

“Hey, I think it’s a great thing you think I’m so attractive. It’s a wonderful confidence booster, baby.”

“She only based it on your looks,” Michelle teases. “Don’t let it go to your head.”

I bite down my smirk so I don’t embarrass Liv further.

I’d like to think she has a new basis for it now, too.

“Daddy!” Sage yells as she comes bounding into the living room, jumping into my arms. “Eiween made bwownies!”

“Brownies? Those are your favorite, Lovebug!”

“You’re welcome, sweet girl,” Liv smiles, giving Sage a kiss on the cheek. “I told my mom how much you love them.”

“Thank you, Mommy.”

Sage jumps now into Liv’s arms as Harvey and Violet smile while Michelle and Luna stare at Olive, mouths hanging open.

“Did she just call you Mommy?!” Michelle asks.

“Liv!” Luna says happily.

Olive just smiles at them in response while Sage looks at her quizzically. “Who are they?”

“Oh, this is my brother Harvey and his girlfriend Michelle, and my sister Violet and her wife Luna.”

“More family, Lovebug,” I smile, mussing up her hair. “A new uncle and three new aunts.”

Olive gazes at me with nothing but love in her eyes, and I practically melt on the spot.

If she doesn’t realize it yet, Olive is my family.

Her family is my family. Sage’s family.

And we’re surrounded by the best family around.

“Thank you so much for having us tonight,” I say to Eileen and Oscar as I stand by them in the kitchen. Sage is enjoying some time with her mom and new uncle and aunts in the living room. “Sage and I are happy to be included.”

“You’re dating our daughter,” Oscar says, and while I’m usually very confident, I will admit that meeting my girlfriend’s father for the first time is extremely intimidating. “You’re always going to be welcome here. You and Sage.”

I can’t help but smile. “Thank you, sir.”

“Please just call me Oscar,” he chuckles.

“Oscar then.”

“Is Sage excited for Sunday’s recital?” Eileen asks as she clears some dishes off the counter.

“She can’t wait,” I admit. “She’s so excited to dance with Olive. Sage absolutely adores her.”

“We know she does,” Eileen smiles knowingly. “We heard her call Liv her mother earlier.”

I let out a breath and rub the back of my neck. “That’s something Sage came to on her own. Neither of us encouraged her one way or another.”

“How do you feel about that?” Oscar questions.

“Man, I really want to make sure I give you the right answer here,” I laugh uneasily, and Oscar’s face softens, taking some of my tension with it. “I know we haven’t been together long, but I think it’s the greatest thing. We’re both in love with your daughter. And Olive is just so happy about it.”

“She always wanted to be a mom,” Eileen says, voice choking. “She wasn’t sure she’d ever get the chance.”

Oscar wraps his arm around his wife and kisses the top of her head. “Our baby girl is finally getting what she wants.”

“I like to think she is,” I state. “But she’s giving me everything I want, too.

I’ve wanted somebody who would love both me and my daughter, knowing that we’re a package deal.

I wanted Sage to have a family, not just be raised by a single dad her entire life.

I want her to have everything, and my God, we finally found it. ”

Emotions quell within me, and I have to fight back the tears pricking the corners of my eyes. I’m not an overly emotional man, but when it comes to my daughter, I’m as soft as they come. I love her to pieces, and all I want is for her to be happy in life and get everything she deserves.

“Lane…” Eileen says softly before throwing her arms around me, quickly joined by Oscar. “Thank you for taking care of our daughter.”

“I love her,” I say with a smile. “I’ll always take care of her. She’s been through so much more than anyone ever deserves to go through, and I’ll do everything I can to protect her.”

We break apart with smiles on our faces and tears in our eyes. I may not show emotions often, but I’ll proudly show off how in love I am with both of my girls.

Oscar lets out a deep, calming breath. “Does this mean we have a grandchild now?”

I bark out a laugh. “Well, Sage has claimed Olive as her mom, Harvey as her uncle, and Violet, Luna, and Michelle as her aunts. Sounds to me like you do, gramps.”

Eileen smiles while Oscar cringes. “Yeah, we gotta come up with a better name than that.”