Page 150 of Over Time Advantage

As we walk into the living room, Harper tugs on Daylen’s facial hair. “I’m not a little nugget. I’m the third-tallest girl in my class.”

Daylen chuckles. “I stand corrected, big nugget.” He pretends to bite her arm. “Hmm, yummy. You could use a little honey mustard sauce though.”

She giggles as he sits on the sofa with her on his lap. She leans back into his chest, clearly extremely comfortable with him.

Kennedy and I sit across from them with only a square, metal coffee table between us. I lick my lips nervously. “Harper, thank you for agreeing to talk to me.”

She purses her lips and crosses her arms. “I’m hearkening.”

I raise an eyebrow, having no idea what that word means.

She rolls her eyes in annoyance. “I’m listening. You should get word of the day toilet paper to increase your pedestrian vocabulary.”

Kennedy lets out a laugh, while I bite back a smile. You’ve got to appreciate Harper’s gusto.

I nod. “Thanks for the advice. I’ll have to ask your dad where to buy it.” I fidget a bit in my seat. Why does this kid make me so nervous?

I eventually look her in the eyes. “I owe you an apology for scaring you like I did that night in your mom’s room. I wish I could go back and do it differently, but I can’t. All I can do is tell you from the bottom of my heart that I’m truly sorry. I was having a horrible day. Not that it makes it okay. It doesn’t. But I need you to know how much I regret my actions. I would never intentionally scare you.”

She considers my words for a few beats. “Why were you having a bad day?”

Before I can answer, Kennedy does. “I kept a big secret from my dad, something you should never do. He was sad I didn’t tell him the truth.”

Harper nods in understanding. “My mommy always says candor is a cornerstone of all relationships.”

Kennedy gives her a knowing smile. “Doesn’t your mommy also say that if someone says sorry, it means they value the relationship?”

“Touché, Kennedy. Touché,” Harper responds.

Daylen lets out a laugh. “I hope my kid is just like you, Harper.”

Harper grins. “Kennedy said the same thing to me the other day.”

“It’s true,” Kennedy agrees. “I want all kinds of little…err…big Harpers running around.”

Yeah, me too.

“Anyway,” I continue, “I came here for a few reasons. The first is to apologize to you. Would you be so kind as to accept my apology?”

Harper looks like she’s about to say yes when my daughter again interrupts, “Maybe you should get a few bags of Skittles out of him first, Harper.”

She smiles and looks at me. I nod, having come prepared. Reaching into my back pocket, I retrieve two bags of Skittles and place them on the table, raising an eyebrow.

She giggles, and it’s music to my ears. “I accept your offer.” She quickly jumps off Daylen’s lap to gather her candy before climbing back up onto Daylen as if it’s the most natural thing in the world.

I have a rare moment of affection for my son-in-law. He’s obviously been very good to this little girl throughout the years for her to feel so comfortable and safe around him.

“Thank you for being so gracious. Now I’d like to talk about your mom.”

Her face drops. “You made my mommy sad all the time. And she cries. A lot. Boys aren’t supposed to make girls cry.”

My heart feels like it’s splintering that Harper had to watch Fallon suffer so much. “Again, I’m sorry. But I have a plan to make sure she doesn’t cry anymore. A plan that might make her happy again. It’s a secret though. Can you keep a secret?”

Her eyes widen with a hint of excitement, just as I had hoped. “I can keep secrets. I didn’t tell anyone that Dylan broke her mommy’s expensive perfume bottle and blamed it on the dog.” She sucks in a breath and covers her mouth, realizing she just spilled the beans. Her adorableness is almost too much to bear.

I bite back my smile. “How about I agree not to tell Dylan’s mommy about the perfume, and you agree to keep my secret?”

Harper nods enthusiastically, almost in relief. “Okay. Deal.”