Page 15 of Yours To Hold
“Maybe I can make you a grilled cheese for lunch and then you can show your dad how to do it.”
“Okay. I never get to help cook.”
I throw a wink in Willow’s direction. “I’ll teach you lots of new things.”
“This is going to be so fun.”
Mason steps around me, dropping a kiss on Willow’s head. “Be good, Willow. Make sure to listen to what Ivy says and don’t talk back.”
“I never talk back.”
“Then I know you’ll be a good girl for Ivy. And make sure to pick up your toys when you’re done playing.”
Willow gives him a kiss on the cheek. “Okay. I love you, Daddy.”
“Love you too, Pipsqueak. And remember what I said about painting?”
She hangs her head, looking sad for the first time. “No painting unless Daddy is here to supervise.”
Mason waves goodbye as he heads out the door.
“Looks like it’s just us girls.” Willow is staring up at me with wide, brown eyes. Eyes that look exactly like her dad’s.
Now that Mason is gone, the nerves have settled in. Not that I’m worried about taking care of her, but I want her to have fun. I know what it was like to be an only child. Except her childhood is already so much different from mine.
“Am I going to have to eat cereal for breakfast? I really wanted pancakes.”
Leaning on the counter, I get on Willow’s level. “Do you have another pan? I can make you my special pancakes.”
“Your special pancakes?” Willow hops out of the chair and runs around the counter, digging in a cabinet. Her tiny arms heft out another pan, just like the one sitting in the sink. “Gramps got Daddy another pan because he said he doesn’t know how to cook.”
“I guess that means we’re making pancakes!”
“Can you show me how to make them?”
“Sure.” Turning on the sink, I soak the pan that is covered in burned pancake batter.
Poor Mason. Maybe if he wasn’t running late, he wouldn’t have burned them. Based on today alone, he’s running himself ragged.
Hopefully by the end of today, he’ll stop worrying about leaving Willow with me and he’ll relax a bit.
“Okay. Grab the bananas. We’re going to add them to the mix.”
“Bananas? I’ve never had bananas in pancakes before.”
“You haven’t? They are my favorite.”
“How do we make them?”
Grabbing the still half-full bowl of batter, I dig around in the drawers to find another spatula. “You get the fun part and are going to smash the banana.”
“Daddy never lets me do that.”
“Well, today you can. Where are the plates?”
Willow points to a cabinet behind my head. Grabbing one, I hand it to her with a fork and peel the banana.
“Now you smush it.”
