Page 134 of Trouble from Abroad
We all scramble to help her, herding the kids toward the craft corner. I take mental snapshots of at least three kidsalready fated to be last in line for the piñata. No way I’m handing them a bat. I keep myself as busy as possible, evading Callie, whose stare is currently scorching the back of my skull.
Preston rejoins us shortly, and his presence warms the rest of my body. The sound of a dramatic inhale makes me whip around.
“Minty,” Callie declares, nose unconventionally close to his mouth. He pulls away while my eyes practically pop out, cartoon springs yanking them in and out of my head.
Her sly gaze whiplashes to me. “How did you know, huh? How could you possibly know?” She crosses her arms. “Make it make sense.”
“Caaaaaake,” I bellow to the entire house. “Time for cake.”
Callie squints at me, tutting under her breath. She’s on to us. And same as her, I wonder, how the hell can she possibly know?
CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
preston
Once the lastsugar-drunk child is out the door, I look around and my house resembles a glitter-slime detonation site. We pull a task force to get the worst of it cleaned and tidied. Lily plops cross-legged in the middle of the couch, cheeks flushed, ready to tear into her stack of presents. The rest of us sit cross-legged around her on the floor.
Callie goes first, pushing a sequined card into her hands. “It’s a spa day for us girls,” she announces before Lily has a chance to read the words. “We’ll get our nails painted, drink virgin mimosas, and gossip like proper divas. The whole shebang.”
April and Liam exchange a loaded look before sliding a massive box into Lily’s lap. It swallows her whole, and she couldn’t care less, shrieking from behind it. Her little hands shake when the torn wrapping reveals the newest Barbie Dreamhouse inside.
“That’s the latest edition,” Liam adds. “But it still didn’t feel good enough.”
“No?” I deadpan, as though a four-story plastic mansion isn’t already overkill.
“I’ll have to file for an extension just to fit that monstrosity in here.”
Liam ignores me. Of course he does. He slides a Tiffany’s box across the table. “Which is why I also got myprincessthis.” From the corner of my eye, I see April dropping her head.
Inside, there’s a real diamond tiara, delicate and sparkling, fit for actual royalty. My daughter gasps so loud the neighbors might’ve heard it.
“Jesus Christ,” I mutter under my breath to April. “We agreed your manchild fiancé isn’t allowed to shop for my daughter unsupervised.”
April throws her hands up. “Don’t look at me. I had no idea about this.”
I shake my head, watching Lily twirl in her tiara, Barbie box forgotten. Not the first outrageous gift I’ve had to return on her behalf. Won’t be the last either, I’m sure.
Still, her joy is undeniable.
Mia and I agreed already that our gifts for Lily wait until morning. Heractualbirthday. And I can’t stop listing in my head all the new family traditions I hope we’ll be starting tomorrow.
The house hums with laughter long after the last gift’s been unwrapped.
Hours later, after enough scrubbing to qualify as a full-body workout, the unicorn crime scene almost passes for my home again—and we sit for dinner. I prepared something healthy and hearty yesterday, waiting only to be roasted today. Lily’s showered and in her pajamas, still highon frosting and adrenaline, prancing from couch to couch while the ladies silently pop the last stray balloons.
I’m stacking leftover cupcakes into a box when Mia sneaks one from the tray.
“Careful,” I warn, “that’s one of the emergency cupcakes.”
She arches a brow. “Emergency cupcakes?”
“For when I realize what we’ve done to this place and need a reason to keep living.”
She grins and takes a bite of it anyway, frosting landing around her lips. I reach over and wipe the corner of her mouth with my thumb before I can think better of it. She sticks her tongue out to lick both the frosting and my finger.
My thumb drags a little slower than it should—soft, lingering.
She freezes at the sound of Callie’s gasp, and so do I.
