Page 36 of Big Girl Panties

"ARE YOU COUNTING?" Lilly's voice boomed across the yard like a tiny drill sergeant, making us both jump.

Saved by the four-year-old.

"Four… Five… Six…" I shouted back, grateful for the interruption. "These kids take their games very seriously. I should probably go find them before they stage a coup."

"Have fun! Try not to get outsmarted by preschoolers!"

"Seven… Eight… Nine… Ten. Ready or not, here I come!" I stood up, immediately spotting Lilly's sneakers poking out from under the patio table. Subtle as a neon sign, that one.

I wandered around the yard like a detective in a very low-stakes crime drama, carefully avoiding their obvious hiding spots. My eyes found Matt across the yard, manning the grill with his brother, and he flashed me a smile that could've powered a small city.

This was how I pictured my life: surrounded by a family who loved each other. Backyard BBQs with the guys chatting around the grill, kids running around the yard, and the women gossiping about their husbands with a glass of wine.

Too bad my family was a complete mess. We had family dinners every Sunday, but they were filled with judgment instead of love, and my brother was gone. This was what I saw vanish with my divorce.

"Where could they possibly be?" I mused loudly, tapping my chin and circling the oak tree like I was hunting for buried treasure. "Behind this tree? Nope, just tree stuff."

Muffled giggles erupted from nearby bushes.

"Could they be hiding in the…"

"DINNER!" Niko's voice boomed across the yard as he approached with a tray of grilled perfection. "Everybody wash up!"

"Awww, Dad!" Rose popped up from behind a bush like a disgruntled groundhog. "She didn't find us yet!"

"Sorry, kiddo. Food waits for no hide-and-seek champion."

"Can we play again after dinner?" Lilly crawled out from under the table, grass in her hair and dirt on her knees. "You can hide next time!"

"Absolutely. But fair warning, I’m an excellent hider. I once hid from my responsibilities for three whole months."

The girls giggled like they understood my joke and raced toward the house, leaving me grinning like an idiot.

"You're terrible at that game," Matt said, appearing beside me with that smile that made my stomach do little Olympic gymnastics routines.

I gasped dramatically, clutching my chest. "Excuse me? I am a hide-and-seek prodigy! A master of…" I paused. "Okay, fine, I'm awful. But in my defense, they're surprisingly good at this."

"I like how you fit in with my family." His hands settled on my hips like they belonged there.

My heart did that fluttery thing again. "Your family is pretty amazing."

"Come eat, you two!" Leilani called from the patio, holding something that smelled delicious.

"Come on…" Lilly started to say, but apparently forgot that gravity exists. She tumbled forward, taking her mom down with her in a domino effect that would've been hilarious if it weren't happening in slow motion.

The pie pan went airborne.

Time slowed. I watched the pie arc through the air like a delicious meteor heading straight for impact. There was a moment, just a brief, shining moment, where I thought maybe, just maybe, it would miss us.

It did not miss us.

SPLAT.

Apple pie rained down like the world's stickiest, most delicious storm. I took the brunt of it, naturally, because apparently I'm a pie magnet.

"OH MY GOD." Leilani scrambled to her feet, while Lilly started crying, whether from fear or injury, it was unclear. "Oh my God, Brooke, I'm so sorry! I…"

I licked my lips. "Mmm. Your pie game is strong."