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I felt extremely protective of her, like she was much more than my niece, and I didn’t want to hurt her.
Ever.
Let me see what my sister wants first.
“I never thoughtI’d see the day when you became a dad.” Magnolia smiled at me as I sat across from her. “I still can’t believe it.”
“It took me a while to accept it, too.”
“I bet. Where’s Olivia?”
“At home.”
“Um, okay…” She tilted her head to the side. “You didn’t think it would be smart to bring her with you to see me?”
“I don’t want to hurt her.”
“Hurther?” She laughed. “Oh my gosh, you would make her happy, Pierce. I’m sure she’s been asking about when I’m coming to get her.”
She hasn’t mentioned you in a while…
“It’s okay. I’m not mad that you left her at home.” She clasped my hand atop the table. “You still have a lot to learn about being a parent.”
The server intruded with menus before I could respond to her nonsense.
“Nice to see you, Mr. Dawson,” he said, then smiled at Magnolia. “My coworkers are huge fans of your show, and we hope you’ll be a fan of the chef’s special tonight.”
“I’m sure I will be.” She beamed. “I’ll have the three-course special with your best champagne.”
“My usual,” I said, waiting for him to fill our glasses and walk away.
“Here.” I pulled a cupcake-shaped card from my pocket. “I’m sure Olivia would want you to have this.”
“My birthday was a while ago.” She flipped it over. “What’s this?”
“She earned the role of Glinda the Good Witch in her school’s production ofWicked. She’s having a party this weekend to celebrate.”
“What?” She unfolded it, running her fingers over the glittering letters while smiling. “I texted her all day yesterday, and she didn’t mention a word about this. Maybe she wanted it to be a surprise?”
I doubt that.I sipped my water.
“What does this part about ‘sweets made exclusively by me’ mean?” she asked. “You’re not hiring a caterer?”
“Not for the desserts, since she loves baking, too,” I said. “She’s helped cook desserts for me and the twins every night, and she’s getting better with every batch. She’s talented.”
“Wow, that’s amazing.” She set down the card. “Whenever I finally take her back to Los Angeles with me, I will let her cook for me.”
“Speaking of ‘whenever’ you’re taking her back, do you have an ETA?”
“It depends on a few personal things.”
“Like what?”
“Well…” She looked at me uneasily, and I braced myself for an elaborate excuse. “Give me a few seconds to word this properly.”
The server returned with our first course, but I didn’t move to take a bite.
I’d lost my appetite and wanted to go home with my family.
