Page 97 of Sunshine

“Daddy, it’s marvelous!”

“Miraculous,” I add.

“Tremendous!” Reece says with a huge grin.

“Spectacular,” I carry on.

“Astonishing.”

“Astounding.”

“Girls, girls, you’re both wrong. It’s beautirific.”

“Oh, Daddy,” Reece says in a fit of giggles. And then she grabs my hand and tugs me forward. “Let’s go!”

The inside is just as lovely as the outside, full of overstuffed, comfy kid-friendly furniture, different textured pillows, and bookshelves galore. Colorful rugs cover the wood floor and there’s a nook with a tea set already set up.

Case nudges me and winks. “So we can teach her how to have proper teatime.”

I nudge him, and whisper back, “I can’t wait to see you sitting in that little chair with your pinky up.”

“Look over here, gumdrop.” She follows her dad, and he points out a basket with a rope and lever. “It’s so you can bring Harold up here.”

Her nose scrunches. “He might poop in here, Daddy.”

That’s when I hear a little whine. A slow smile spreads on my face, and I look at my beautiful biker. “You didn’t?”

“I did.”

An adorable dirty-blond-colored lab puppy waddles out from behind some pillows and Reece falls to her knees. I fall with her, so we can cuddle the little dog, who licks our faces until we can’t stop giggling.

“Who’s giggling up here?”

“Uncle Mack!” Reece runs for the door in the floor. “Look what Daddy made for me!”

“Nice treehouse, honey,” Mack says, climbing into the little room. It feels too small now, but I smile anyway because Mack’s growing on me—slowly. And judging by his wink to me, I on him.

I turn my attention back to the puppy and Reece.

“Oh, it’s so cute!” I spin at Paige’s voice. What is she… my brow furrows. Had they come together? I look at my watch. She’s an hour early.

Rising, I look between the three adults in the room, my sneaky senses tingling.

Paige and Mack look at each other and I narrow my eyes. “What’s going on? Why are you so early?”

“No reason,” Paige replies, looking innocent, too innocent. She drops to her haunches to scratch the puppy and Mack shrugs his shoulders.

“Don’t look at me. I’m just the furniture delivery guy.” A smirk forms on his mouth. “I can leave if you want.”

“No, don’t go, Uncle Mack! Come meet my new puppy! Is it a boy or a girl, Daddy?”

“Boy, too much estrogen in the house.”

“What’s estrogen?”

“Girl power,” I reply. “And your Dad’s forgetting about Harold and Jake. There’s too much testosterone if you ask me.” I turn to Reece. “That’s boy cooties.”

“There can never be enough estrogen. But I don’t mind boy cooties as long as they’re family cooties.” She rolls onto the floor and lets the puppy crawl on top of her. “I’m going to call him Butterscotch.”