posters of teenaged actors and singers. And she spent countless hours on the phone with other men’s little girls, talking about hair, clothes, and—heaven help him—boys.
Just last week she asked if she could start wearing makeup.
Dan studied Shannon as she stood there, contemplating the delight of her favorite breakfast: shape pancakes. With her drowsy eyes blinking, hair tangled from sleep and tumbling down into her face, cheeks pink and glowing, she looked every inch his baby girl. And yet …
There, just at the edges of her little girlness, Dan could see it. A young woman, ready to burst free. And every time he caught a glimpse of that young woman, he suffered the same soul-deep pang. These last two years without Sarah had been hard, but it was times like this, looking at their beautiful daughter, who every day was becoming more and more a miniature of her mother, that Dan missed his wife the most.
How was he going to handle his little girl becoming a woman without Sarah?
Shannon yawned. “I want a unicorn. You know, a horse with a horn and wings?”
“Unicorns don’t have wings, dummy.”
Ah, the perfectly honed sarcasm brothers reserved for sisters.
Shannon spun and glared at her big brother, but Dan jumped in, preempting his daughter’s answering volley. “Don’t call your sister a dummy.”
Aaron grabbed a piece of bacon off the plate, munching it as he glanced up at his father. When the kid turned fourteen last year, he took on the mantle of
teenager
with a vengeance. Still, for all his teenager ways, Aaron knew how to turn on the innocence and sincerity.” But Dad, what if she
is
one?”
“Aaron.”
“You’re always telling us to say the truth. So if she
is
a dummy, then—”
“I am
not
a dummy!” Shannon’s foot stomped the floor, accentuating her denial.
So much for stopping the battle before it began. Fortunately, Dan held the big guns. As his offspring squared off, lobbing verbal volleys, Dan turned without a word and unplugged the griddle. Then, his motions slow and methodical, he picked up the bowl of batter he’d been stirring and set it in one side of the double sink. Then he picked up the batter-dipped fork and held it suspended above the dishwater in the second sink.
The bickering voices faltered, then fell silent.
“Hey …”
Brows arched, Dan glanced over his shoulder at his son. “Yes?”
Aaron bit his lip. “Um, what are you doing, Dad?”
“Yeah—” Shannon leaned over her brother’s shoulder—“why’d you unplug the griddle?”
Dan let his eyes go wide. Aaron wasn’t the only one who could muster innocence when it suited. “The griddle?”
“And what’s the bowl of batter doing in the sink?” Aaron’sforehead creased. “I thought we were getting pancakes for breakfast?”
Shannon crossed her arms, accusation shooting from her brown eyes. Eyes so like her mother’s that Dan still found his breath catching when his little girl looked at him. “Yeah. Shape pancakes. You promised!”
Dan’s gaze drifted from his children to the dripping fork. “Oh … you mean you still want pancakes? You guys didn’t exactly jump out of bed when I called you this morning, so I figured you weren’t all that excited about it.”
They opened their mouths to reply, but he cut them off with a pointed look. “Besides, you seemed way too busy chewing on each other for pancakes.”
Those opened mouths snapped shut. Shannon and Aaron looked at each other, then at the floor.
“Aw, Dad—”
Shannon gave her brother a silencing shot with her elbow. Before he could protest, she slid her arm around his waist. “We’re sorry, Daddy.”
Dan’s lips twitched, but he didn’t give in. Not yet.
Aaron tried to pull away from his sister, but she tightened her grip on his waist and popped him with her hip.
“Hey!”
“
Aren’t
we sorry, Aaron?”
He frowned, took in her exasperated glare, then looked from his father to Shannon. Understanding dawned on his
Just last week she asked if she could start wearing makeup.
Dan studied Shannon as she stood there, contemplating the delight of her favorite breakfast: shape pancakes. With her drowsy eyes blinking, hair tangled from sleep and tumbling down into her face, cheeks pink and glowing, she looked every inch his baby girl. And yet …
There, just at the edges of her little girlness, Dan could see it. A young woman, ready to burst free. And every time he caught a glimpse of that young woman, he suffered the same soul-deep pang. These last two years without Sarah had been hard, but it was times like this, looking at their beautiful daughter, who every day was becoming more and more a miniature of her mother, that Dan missed his wife the most.
How was he going to handle his little girl becoming a woman without Sarah?
Shannon yawned. “I want a unicorn. You know, a horse with a horn and wings?”
“Unicorns don’t have wings, dummy.”
Ah, the perfectly honed sarcasm brothers reserved for sisters.
Shannon spun and glared at her big brother, but Dan jumped in, preempting his daughter’s answering volley. “Don’t call your sister a dummy.”
Aaron grabbed a piece of bacon off the plate, munching it as he glanced up at his father. When the kid turned fourteen last year, he took on the mantle of
teenager
with a vengeance. Still, for all his teenager ways, Aaron knew how to turn on the innocence and sincerity.” But Dad, what if she
is
one?”
“Aaron.”
“You’re always telling us to say the truth. So if she
is
a dummy, then—”
“I am
not
a dummy!” Shannon’s foot stomped the floor, accentuating her denial.
So much for stopping the battle before it began. Fortunately, Dan held the big guns. As his offspring squared off, lobbing verbal volleys, Dan turned without a word and unplugged the griddle. Then, his motions slow and methodical, he picked up the bowl of batter he’d been stirring and set it in one side of the double sink. Then he picked up the batter-dipped fork and held it suspended above the dishwater in the second sink.
The bickering voices faltered, then fell silent.
“Hey …”
Brows arched, Dan glanced over his shoulder at his son. “Yes?”
Aaron bit his lip. “Um, what are you doing, Dad?”
“Yeah—” Shannon leaned over her brother’s shoulder—“why’d you unplug the griddle?”
Dan let his eyes go wide. Aaron wasn’t the only one who could muster innocence when it suited. “The griddle?”
“And what’s the bowl of batter doing in the sink?” Aaron’sforehead creased. “I thought we were getting pancakes for breakfast?”
Shannon crossed her arms, accusation shooting from her brown eyes. Eyes so like her mother’s that Dan still found his breath catching when his little girl looked at him. “Yeah. Shape pancakes. You promised!”
Dan’s gaze drifted from his children to the dripping fork. “Oh … you mean you still want pancakes? You guys didn’t exactly jump out of bed when I called you this morning, so I figured you weren’t all that excited about it.”
They opened their mouths to reply, but he cut them off with a pointed look. “Besides, you seemed way too busy chewing on each other for pancakes.”
Those opened mouths snapped shut. Shannon and Aaron looked at each other, then at the floor.
“Aw, Dad—”
Shannon gave her brother a silencing shot with her elbow. Before he could protest, she slid her arm around his waist. “We’re sorry, Daddy.”
Dan’s lips twitched, but he didn’t give in. Not yet.
Aaron tried to pull away from his sister, but she tightened her grip on his waist and popped him with her hip.
“Hey!”
“
Aren’t
we sorry, Aaron?”
He frowned, took in her exasperated glare, then looked from his father to Shannon. Understanding dawned on his
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