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“Daisy can sleep with me if she’s still scared,” Scarlett offered graciously before taking her seat and setting up her own stand with tiles. “Are you two playing as a team?”

“Maybe, but don’t worry, Daisy knows way more words than I do,” I told Scarlett while Oliver puttered about making everyone warm milk. I gave my mug a sour look.

“Don’t make a bad face. Daddy puts vanilla in it.”

“Oh okay, vanilla makes everything better,” I said.

Oliver sat down across from me. The girls were given the nod to go first, and Daisy spelled outDOGfor our first word. We high-fived. Scarlett was pondering her move when I felt a big, warm, sock-covered foot find mine under the table. My gaze met Oliver’s. Love and contentment filled me. I wasn’t sure how one big dude, plus two little girls, could have added up to everything I never knew I needed, but they did.

“Oh, I have this word,” Scarlett announced as she hurried to place anL, a V, and anEusing theOin Daisy’sDOGto make the wordLOVE.

I guess love was just as easy to spell out as it was to fall into.