Page 39 of The Heartbreaker

Jana banged the back of her head against the seat. “I can’t fucking either.”

“Mommy!”

Jana laughed and whispered to me, “At this rate, she’ll have the concert tickets paid off within her first week of school.”

“No shit.”

She smiled at me. “Let’s go.”

I got out, opening the door for Daisy, and grabbed her backpack as she climbed outside. I held the straps open for her, waiting until she slipped her arms through before I set the bag on her back. Once it was balanced, she took off across the parking lot, Jana and me behind her, following her down the sidewalk toward the entrance of the school.

“I’m proud of you for being so excited about today.” I caught up to her pace and put my hand on her head, tilting it until her eyes met mine. “You’re going to do great, and I know you’re going to get excellent grades—just like your mom did when I met her in college.”

“Uncle ’Ett told me I have to get all A’s because he got B’s, and Ihaaaveto beat him.”

She’d been calling my brother that from the moment she started speaking and still did even though she could now say his name.

“You don’t have to compete with Rhett, baby.” I gave her a little squeeze. “I just want you to do the best you can.”

“That’s an A, Daddy. ’Cause I’m smart, like Mommy.”

I laughed. “You sure are.”

We approached the entrance, surrounded by a small crowd of kids and parents, and I held the door for Jana and Daisy, joining them inside. Jana led us to an area where there was enough room for the three of us to stand without bumping elbows with other families.

“I love you,” Jana said to Daisy, crouching so they were at eye level. “Have the best time today, okay? And I’ll see you in a little while.”

“Okay, Mommy.”

I wanted nothing more than to pick my little girl up in my arms and swing her around.

But I wouldn’t do that here.

I needed to treat her like she was a big girl.

So, I lowered to the floor and looked up at her. “I love you so much. I’ll talk to you as soon as Mommy picks you up, and I want to hear how amazing your first day was.”

“Love you, Daddy.”

I kissed her cheek, and she took off down the hall, where a sea of kids was headed. Her ashy-brown ponytail that sat on top of her head was the only way I could distinguish her from the others.

“Why does this feel like the hardest thing we’ve ever done?” Jana asked.

I slowly looked at her. “Because we just watched our heart disappear.” My hand went to the back of her neck. “Thealternative is homeschooling, and neither of us is equipped to tackle that.”

“She needs this.” Her voice was only slightly above a whisper.

“She does,” I agreed.

“But I want to hold her and never let her go.”

“I know.” I massaged over her hair, feeling how tight the muscle was beneath my fingers. “The day will fly by. She’ll be back in your arms before you know it.”

She nodded. “Right.”

I had my own tightness, but it was in my chest.

I reached into my pocket, grabbed the fob for the SUV, and handed it to her. “I’m going to use the restroom. I’ll meet you at the car.”