Page 82 of Manny Included

“Hey, baby girl.I love you.How was school?”

“I counted to five!”She held up four fingers.

“Oh wow!Let’s do it together!”He held up one finger.“One.”

“One!”She took another of his fingers and move it up.“Twos!”

“Two!”He added another finger, tickled to death.“Three!”

“Freeeeee!”She put up his last finger.“Five!”

“What about four?Should we have four too?”He leaned in and rubbed their noses together.

She giggled, but then tilted her head.“Four?”She held up three fingers, said “three,” then held up four fingers and said “five.”

He chuckled softly, loving how she was learning to make jokes.“Silly goose.Three.Four.Five.”

“Three four five?”She took his hand and pushed up one finger.“One.”

He nodded and held up the next finger.

“Two.”

He held up three.

“Three.”

He held up the next one and she frowned at him.

“Four?”

He nodded, so proud.“Yes.Perfect.”

Then he held up his thumb too and she looked him in the eye, looked at his fingers.Then she counted under her breath as she touched each one.

Then she looked at him, with a huge smile and said, “Five!”She held her own hand up again, all fingers and thumb raised and repeated, “Five.”

“Five!My brilliant girl.”He hugged her as she beamed.She was so sweet and smart and sure.

“Can you count to five, Pete?Good for you,” Bay said, coming into the living room, shit-eating grin on his face.

“I teached him, Bay!Me!”She held her hands up to be picked up.

Bay obliged, his eyes wide.“You?Really?Show me?”

She leaned back, having utter faith that her uncle Bay would not drop her and she held up one finger.“One!”Then she went through the rest, one at a time until she hit five.

“Oh my goodness!I’m so proud of you, Merry!”

“I teached it!I’m a good counter!”

Pete was over the moon, any disappointment about losing an adult supper gone.

“Look at you.Counting and teaching.My so smart girl.”Bay squeezed her tight and hugged her.Then he buzzed her neck, making her throw her head back and laugh.

That brought the other kids, and Bay put Merida down before picking Eric up and hugging and buzzing his neck too.When he put a laughing Eric down, Bay turned to Belle and opened his arms, but waited for a sign from her.

Belle pushed into his arms.“I love you, Bay.”