Page 153 of The True Garza

“I said no. Play with Willow and Tarik instead. They’re better behaved.”

“But they are too quiet, Mommy. And they never want to play any of the fun games with us. And Tarik is always scrunching his face at us like we have germs.”

That pulls and inadvertent chuckle out of me. But I should’ve kept quiet, because when my wife simply ignores them, they leap like frogs from her sun bed to mine. “Daddy, can we go play games with Marc and Tiara after dinner tonight?”

This is where I always get into trouble. “Um….”

Tessa sticks out her bottom lip, and Talia gives me her signature sad eyes. The one that always gets me to cave.

But not this time. Being in the doghouse with London isbrutal,and I’ve more than learned my lesson. I’m not getting played by these little connivers again. “What your mother says goes.”

“Is it because you are afraid of Mommy?”

Talia. Always the challenger. She’sallLondon. Will go to any lengths and push any button to get what she wants.

“Excuse me, young lady?”

Tessa draws back and covers her mouth, tugging on her sister’s dress in warning. But Talianevercowers. Brazenly, she replies, “Uncle Tripp said you always do what Mommy says because you are afraid of her.”

Fighting back a smile, I grab her little arms and pull her tightly to my chest. She wiggles and squawks, trying to get away. “Uncle Tripp is onlyhalfright,” I tell her. “I’m not afraidofyour Mommy.”

When London pops one eye open and arch a brow at me, I send her a wink.

Tessa crawls up to my chest and I hug her tightly as well and go on, “But Iamafraid oflosingher.”

Both girls giggle. “How can you lose Mommy, Daddy? She’s a person, not a sock.”

“You see, it tooka lotof hard work to build a life with your Mommy, to be able to bring you mischievous little rugrats into the world. Because your daddy isveryimperfect, and your Mommy is an angel from heaven.”

My wife snorts.

“She rules this little kingdom. And if I mess up, she’ll kick me out. And if I’m out of the kingdom, I won’t be there to read you stories before bed at night. Or to cook your favorite meals and bake your favorite cookies. I won’t be there at the dinner table with you. We won’t have any more family game nights. We won’t take fun holiday trips together like this. And you’ll only get to see me on the weekends, where you’ll stay in the tent that I live in on the street.”

“No, Daddy, no!” Tessa shrieks, clinging to me. “She can’t do that!”

“Can Mommy really do that, Daddy?” Talia’s bottom lip quivers as she struggles to play tough. “Can Mommy really kick you out of the kingdom?”

“Yep. She absolutely can.” I kiss both their foreheads in turn. “If you use my love for you to get me to tell youyeswhen she told youno, then… that’s it girls, I’m done for. Kaput.”

“We’re really sorry, Daddy. We don’t want Mommy to do that to you.”

They cling to me like koalas.

“We love you, Daddy. Please don’t leave us.”

“Does that mean you’ll listen to your Mommy?”

“Yes, Daddy.”

“Thank you.” I squeeze them hard. “Thank you, my darlings, for keeping me inside the kingdom.”

“Hey!” I glance down below to see Mom in the sand with her grandkids tailing her. Willow and Tarik—Torin and Lyra’s nonidentical twins. And Marc and Tiara—Lexi and Trent’s kids, born one year apart. “We’re heading to the grand room for burgers. Are you coming?”

My girls, the greediest of all the kids, are off me and bounding down the steps in seconds. Their sadness of potentially getting me kicked out of the kingdom already forgotten.

“You didn’t have to scare them like that,” London says as we watch the kids trail Mom in the sand. They love her to pieces.

“That’s what they get for trying to manipulate me. Those brats never learn.”