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She played in the tub, and I got only a bit of water in her face when I tried to rinse the shampoo out.
Fifteen minutes later, she was dry and in clean pajamas, her bath duck safely returned to his hiding spot. I turned onMoanaand caught myself fuckinghummingalong when the titular character pushed her boat into the water for her adventure.
Thirty more minutes and I could put Mira to bed. Then I’d collapse face-first into the guest bed down the hall.
My phone vibrated.
When I flipped it over, my mouth dropped open.
Valentine:Thank you for the highlight of my day.
She’d attached a screenshot of a still frame from a small security camera that I hadn’t noticed, but when I turned around, I saw it. Mounted on the wall and pointed into the kitchen. Which was how Zoe had a perfect view of me reading the binder before bathtime.
“Fucking hell,” I mumbled under my breath.
Mira looked up at me, her eyes big and her hair a bit frizzy after her bath. “Fucking hell,” she repeated. Then she honked my nose and giggled.
I laid my head back on the couch and closed my eyes.
Round one to Zoe Valentine.
Mira climbed out of her crib before I’d moved from my spot on the guest bed. Quiet as a fucking ninja, that girl was, and I didn’t even realize she’d come into the room until I slowly pulled myself to wakefulness and sensed someone staring down at me.
When I cracked my bleary eyes open, she was inches from my face, just fuckingstaringat me.
“Bloody hell, child,” I said with a gasp, rolling to my back and settling a hand on my racing heart. “That is some freaky shit. Don’t do that again, all right?”
She giggled, clambering up into the bed and flopping down on top of the blankets I’d shoved off before falling asleep.
I’d had not a single dream.
Chris hadn’t shown up anywhere, not even with aHey, good job on bathtime, dick.
I’d slept like a rock, hardly moving from the moment I sprawled myself across the mattress.
“I need coffee,” I muttered.
She ignored that, turning onto her side with her hands tucked under her face on the pillow.
“I hold you?” Mira asked.
I sat up, wiping a hand over my face. “You hold me? I doubt you can manage it, kid. I’m a pretty big guy, if you haven’t noticed.”
But I ruffled the top of her hair, and she reached forward to honk my nose.
I growled.
She laughed.
And fuck if it didn’t feel good to be able to make her do that.
“What about pancakes?” I asked. “Tell me you like pancakes, because if I don’t get some real food in you before she comes home, I will never hear the end of it.”
The suggestion was a hit. Mira jumped to her feet and started chanting the word.
I sighed. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
Except there was no pancake mix in the pantry. And I hadn’t bought any.
