Page 37 of Worth the Want

“No, do you have them with you?” Lo asks.

“I would like to see them, too, if you don’t mind. I was thinking of updating The Edgemont’s site as well,” Ivy chimes in. Since moving to town last winter, she joined Alder in running the ski resort up on the mountain during the winter and turned it into a mountain bike destination in the summers.

“I have them all on my laptop back at the house. Do you…would you guys want to come by after the party and see?” she asks hesitantly. They all give her a resounding yes.

“Count me in too!” another voice yells from the other side of the yard. Marigold walks over to the group, still in her hospital scrubs.

“Hi, big brother. Sorry I’m late. I had to deal with a small mishap at work,” Lo says, giving me a hug and kiss on the cheek.

“Everything okay?” I ask, it’s not like her to complain about anything.

“Fine. Just a guy on the phone today. He made a big stink about talking to me on the phone and then called me a—” she cuts herself off, looking around to the kids then whispers, “bitch, when I couldn’t get him a room. We’re booked, it’s a busy season,” she finishes, reaching for a glass of pink lemonade from the table behind me.

“He what?”

“I know! Such a jerk.”

“I hate that you have to deal with rude assholes.”

“Them’s the breaks,” she says breezily. “I’m fine. Shaking it off to celebrate now!” she tells me, walking back over to the women gathering.

I leave them to their conversation and walk over to the bounce house to spend some time playing with Hazel.

“Are you having a good birthday,dragonfly?”

“The best!” she yells, jumping and falling over.

She’s having a hard time staying up, so I bend to help her stand.

“Thank you, Daddy,” she says.

“You’re welcome.”

It’s not long before we’re joined by Indie. She pops her head into the opening in the net.

“Can I join?” she asks us.

“Yes!” Hazel screams, then giggles like she’s never had sugar before in her life. Indie jumps in with us, twirling around as she does, her hair fanning out with each motion.

“Can you do this?” Hazel asks her, then proceeds to do her version of a somersault.

“I don’t know, that was pretty good. I’ll try if your dad does,” she answers, then looks my way.

“Okay! Do it, Daddy! Do it, Daddy!” Hazel chants.

I narrow my eyes on Indiana. Her front two teeth are sinking into her plump bottom lip to hide her smile, eyes glittering when she opens her mouth and pushes me further to the edge. “Yeah, let’s see it,Daddy.”

I almost choke on my tongue.Daddy?Thinking of her calling methatin a more private setting has my heart rate picking up.

Reining in my racing thoughts, I hold up my hands. “Alright, alright,” I tell them, holding my arms over my head. “Are you ready for this?” I ask them.

“We were born ready,” Indie says, and Hazel says, “Yeah!” I somersault as gracefully as I can, making a show to stand up again to take a bow. Both girls jump around clapping.

“That was so good, Daddy!” Hazel cheers for me.

“Truly. I can only think of two somersaults in all my life that rival that one,” Indie mutters.

“Two? Better than that? Whose?” I ask. My tone playful but demanding. She’s jumping toward me and laughing with me. Grabbing my arm for support to steady herself, my skin heating at the feel of her hands on me.