Perfect Embrace by Kaylee Ryan

Chapter 2

Grayson

I’m staring at the alarm clock, watching as time slowly ticks by, and willing my mind to turn off so I can go to sleep. It was a hard shift today at work—an accident about a mile out of town that ended in air-carrying the driver.

I got word about an hour ago that the kid, just seventeen years old, is going to be okay. He’s one of the lucky ones. I love my job. I love helping people. That’s what drove me to become a firefighter. A year ago, I was promoted to captain, which is almost unheard of at my age. Thoughts of what drove me to work harder filters through my mind, and I shut it down. I don’t need to go there. Not tonight.

A loud crack of thunder booms, making it feel as though the house is shaking, and I know what will happen next. I can’t hear the pad of their little feet over the storm as they race down the hall, but I know they’re coming. Sure enough, not a minute later, my bedroom door is being pushed open, and the bed dips as the twins crawl in beside me.

“Daddy?” Harlow asks.

“Yeah, sweetie?” I raise my head to look at her.

“Can we sleep with you?” Hayden asks from behind me.

“On one condition.”

“What?” they ask together. It used to freak me out, the way they talk at the same time, saying the same things and finishing each other’s sentences. Hell, sometimes they don’t even say a word. There’s some kind of freaky twin vibe that they just know and understand what’s coming next. At first, it freaked me the hell out, but now I’m used to it, it’s cool as hell. I especially like to watch others’ reactions to them. It’s very entertaining.

“I need snuggles.” I finally give them their condition.

A round of giggles and “Done” comes from both of them. Rolling to my back, I spread out my arms, pulling each of them into my embrace. Their little heads rest against my bare chest.

Another smack of thunder, and they both jump and snuggle in closer. “Daddy’s got you,” I croon to them.

My daughters are my world. I never imagined I’d be doing this dad gig on my own, and it’s tough most days. I have a lot of support from my parents and my late wife’s parents as well. I remember in those first days after losing their mother, my mom told me something that has stuck with me. It takes a village to raise a child. At the time, I thought she was crazy, but I don’t know how I would have done it without all their help.

“Sissy?” Harlow speaks up.

“Yeah?” Hayden asks.

“Let’s make up a story like Miss Waken said.”

“Once upon a time,” Hayden starts.

“—there was a bunny and a sheep that was bestest friends,” Harlow adds.

The girls continue on with their story as my mind wanders to Laken. I’ve seen her around town. I went to high school with her and her sister, Leni. I know who she is, but I don’t know her. However, she seems to be well acquainted with my daughters. I was shocked when Hayden crawled into her lap. I was ready to give her the lecture about stranger danger, one we’ve had many times, but she was so relaxed with her. And the way that Laken smiled at her, it was like a knife to my chest.

They’re missing out on the love of a mother. They’re missing her presence in their life, and that guts me. They’re very attached to both sets of grandparents, but Laken is the first adult other than family, and my best friend, Ryder, I’ve seen them act that way with. Then again, other than Ryder, they haven’t been around any other adults. At least none that they spend a lot of time with. However, it appears that their weekly visits to the bookstore with Nana Jackie have turned into something more between the three of them. So much so, they were able to convince Christine to take them this week. Mom usually has them on Thursdays, but she picked up a shift at the dentists' office to cover for one of the other receptionists.

“The end.” Hayden giggles.

“Did you like it, Daddy?” Harlow asks.

“The best story I’ve ever heard.”

“We hafta tell Miss Waken. Daddy, can we do One More Chapter?” Hayden asks.

“It’s getting late. How about you do another chapter tomorrow?” Children’s books, at least those for their age, don’t even have chapters. I don’t know where they come up with this stuff.

“No, silly.” Harlow giggles.

“Miss Waken’s store. That’s the name, right, Daddy?”

Schooled by my four-year-old daughters. “That’s right,” I tell them. How could I forget the name of the damn store? “How about we get some sleep, and we’ll see what tomorrow holds?”

“Okay,” they respond together. “Love you, Daddy.”

“I love you both to the moon and back.” I place a kiss on the top of one, then the other’s head, and snuggle them closer.

I push the sadness out of my mind even though it lives in my heart for my daughters and their mother they’ll never remember. I push the pain to the bottom of my chest that Holly is gone and missing our daughters and the incredible little humans they are. I see so much of her in them, sometimes so much it makes it hard to breathe. I miss her every single day.

* * *

Giggles. That’s my alarm clock this Saturday morning. I pretend to still be asleep as the girls giggle from their spots on either side of me.

“Daddy sleeps loud,” Harlow says, making her sister laugh.

“Pap does too!” Hayden says, and another fit of giggles ensues.

Lifting my arms, I tickle their sides as they squirm. “What are you two monsters doing talking about me while I sleep?”

“You sleep loud!” They laugh hysterically as I move to my knees and tickle them both. Their backs are on the bed, and their little bodies squirm from my tickle monster hands.

“You unleashed the tickle monster.” I make my voice deeper. Bending down, I blow a raspberry on Hayden’s belly where her shirt has ridden up and then the same to Harlow on hers.

“Mercy!” Harlow yells.

“I have to pee!” Hayden squeals.

That’s all it takes for me to stop. I’m not about to wash the sheets when I just did it earlier this week. “Go potty,” I tell them, giving them a break from the tickle monster.

“I’m going to Daddy’s bathroom!” Hayden slides off the bed and makes a mad dash for my room.

“Hurry, sissy, I gots to go too,” Harlow informs her sister.

“Go use yours,” I tell her.

“I wanna use yours,” she says, dancing around.

Finally, Hayden appears, and Harlow rushes past her like a hurricane. Hayden climbs on the bed, and I snuggle her close. I will never tire of snuggles from my girls. I’m already dreading the day they’re too cool to hug dear old dad. I know it’s coming, and I am in no way ready for it.

“Daddy, my belly’s angry,” Hayden tells me.

“Hmm, maybe we should feed it?” I suggest.

“Mine too!” Harlow runs and jumps on the bed, joining us.

“All right, so what are we eating today?” I ask them.

“Jitters!” they both cheer, and I can’t help but laugh.

“Jitters it is. Go brush your teeth, and I’ll grab you some clothes.”

“No, we want to pick,” they say.

“Okay. You can pick.” It’s hard to tell what they’re going to be wearing today. However, over the last four years, I’ve learned to pick and choose my battles. “Go get ready. Daddy’s going to grab a shower. Do not go downstairs without me.” I point at them, reminding them of the rules. I have to keep them close.

“We know,” they say dramatically.

I have a vision of them as teenagers rolling their eyes at me and amping up their already teenager-like attitudes. “Keep it up, and we’ll be eating here.”

“Nope!” they say and scramble off the bed and race down the hall to their room.

I rush through my shower, not wanting to leave the girls to their own devices for long. Pulling on some shorts and a Mason Creek Fire Department T-shirt, I go in search of the twins. I hear giggles coming from their room and stop just inside the doorway. There are clothes thrown all over the room in between their two twin beds. The house has three bedrooms, but they insist on sharing a room. So the third bedroom is their playroom.

“What’s going on in here?” I place my hands on my hips and try to be stern and not let my smile pull at my lips.

“Daddy, we don’t have nuffing to wear,” Harlow says theatrically.

Lord help me. “Well, I guess that means no Jitters. You can’t go in your pjs.”

“No!” they whine.

“Choose, girls, and when we get home, you’re cleaning your room. What have I told you about throwing your clean clothes all around your room?”

“Sorry, Daddy.” Harlow is the first to apologize, followed quickly by her sister.

“Get dressed. I’m going to grab what we need for your hair.” I walk out of the room and head for their bathroom, grabbing what I need to tame their dark curls. I’m still in a constant state of learning, and I can braid but not French braid. The girls keep asking me to learn, and I’ve watched a few YouTube videos, but every time I try, it turns out looking… well, not like it does at the end of the video.

When I make it back to their room, they’re both dressed in blue jean shorts and tank tops. The clothes actually match, which is a blessing. They’ve been known to want to wear their princess play dresses, and I’m the pushover who lets them. Mom tells me that I spoil them, but I’m a man. What do I know about four-year-old girls and what’s right in fashion for them?

Thirty minutes and a half a bottle of detangler later, their dark curls are pulled into pretty decent-looking ponytails, if I do say so myself, and we’re loading up in the truck heading to Java Jitters for what’s sure to be a sugary breakfast. It’s not something I do all the time, knowing it’s not the most nutritional, but Java Jitters has, well, the best java, and I could use a cup or four today.

The drive to Java Jitters is short. Just enough time for the girls to sing along to one song on the radio. After parking my truck on the street, I turn to face them. “You can get out of your seats, but don’t open the doors. I’ll come around to get you.” About a year ago, they decided they were big girls and were going to open their own door. They chose the door closest to the street. Luckily I was just at the back of the truck and made it to them in time, but it gave me nightmares for weeks that something was going to happen to them. Not the first time in the last three years that I’ve praised the fact that Mason Creek is a small town and not a busy city. My girls climbing out of the truck onto a busy street could have turned out much worse. I’m aware I’m overprotective, but I will make no apologies for it.

I’ve already lost their momma. I can’t lose them too.

“Ready?” I ask, pulling open the door. I lift Hayden out first, and just like I’ve taught her, she wraps her arms around my leg while I lift Harlow out.

“Hold hands, sissy,” Hayden says, and they link hands while Hayden reaches up for mine. That’s how the three of us walk into Java while I hold the door open with my free hand.

“Miss Waken!” they exclaim, dropping my hand and running across the small dining area to get to Laken.

“Girls!” I call out, but it’s no use. Laken has already pushed out her chair and is embracing them both. All three of them are wearing huge smiles.

“Hey, ladies,” she greets them. “Are you here for breakfast?”

“Yep,” they reply proudly.

“Girls, you can’t run away from me like that,” I scold.

“But, Daddy,” Harlow protests.

“It’s Miss Waken,” Hayden adds.

“I understand that, but you know the rules.”

“Sorry,” they mumble.

I nod and then make eye contact with Laken. Her hazel eyes are bright as she glances up at me. “Hey, Grayson.”

She’s beautiful.

It’s not the first time I’ve had that thought, but it ends there. She’s easy on the eyes, but I don’t have time for more. My daughters are all that I have time for after a full week at the station.

“The three of you should join us.”

I turn to look at who offered the invite to see Justine Samson.

“We don’t want to impose,” I say, placing my hand on each of my daughters’ shoulders, ready to guide them to the counter to order.

“Please, Daddy,” my twin angels plead.

“That’s crazy.” Justine smiles. “Do they do that a lot?”

“They do,” Laken answers before I get the chance. “It’s really something… the way they are connected.”

“Miss Waken, we wroted a story,” Harlow tells her.

“You wrote a story?” Laken corrects while managing to ask with interest while pretending to be surprised, even though she told them to do so. “Hayden, did you help?”

“Yes. We tolded it to Daddy last night when the sky was angwy,” Hayden tells her.

Laken smiles at them, and then me and my breath hitches in my lungs. “You told your daddy,” she corrects her gently. “I’m sure it was the best story ever,” she says enthusiastically.

“It was,” they tell Laken.

“Come on, girls, let’s get some breakfast.”

“And you need coffee, right, Daddy?” Harlow asks.

“That’s right, baby. Daddy needs coffee.” I laugh.

“We’ll be right back, Miss Waken, and… what’s your name again?” Hayden asks Justine.

“I’m Justine. Miss Laken is my best friend.”

“My sissy is my best friend, oh and my daddy,” Hayden tells her.

“And Miss Waken too,” Harlow announces.

Justine and Laken chuckle softly. “Come on, monkeys, let's get some breakfast.” I guide the girls to the counter and order breakfast and a large black coffee. By the time we’re through the line, Laken and Justine are standing to leave.

“You’re leaving?” Harlow asks, sounding on the verge of tears.

“I’m sorry. Justine and I are going shopping in Billings today. I’ll see you Thursday when you visit me at the store. I want to hear that story.”

“Daddy, can we go shopping in Biwings?” Harlow asks.

“Not today, sweetheart.” I let her down gently.

Laken bends her knees to talk to them at eye level. “You two need to keep your daddy company. I think he’s been missing you while he’s at work all week,” Laken tells them. She glances up at me. “I think he needs lots of hugs and maybe even for you to clean your rooms.”

The girls gasp in surprise. “How did you know about our messy room?” Hayden asks her.

“I was a little girl once too. Do you think you can do that for me? Then on Thursday, I want to hear your story,” she reminds them again.

“Okay.” My girls agree all too easily and wrap their arms around her neck. “Bye, Miss Waken,” they say, stepping back.

I watch as she stands to her full height, adjusting her purse on her shoulder. “It was good to see you, Grayson.”

“Laken.” I nod. I can’t manage more than that as I process how easily she handled my daughters and how good she is with them. “Be safe,” I manage to add.

“Always.” She nods, then turns her attention back to the girls. “See you soon, ladies.” With a final wave from both her and Justine, they walk out the door.

By the time we get home, I have a text message from Ryder.

Ryder:You might want to take a look at this.

Attached is a link for the MC Scoop. I fight the urge to roll my eyes, but I click the link anyway, knowing without even looking it’s going to be about me.

Love Jitters

One of Mason Creek’s most eligible bachelors, a single daddy of two adorable little

girls, just might be off the market. Rumor has it he and our town’s beloved bookstore

owner have been getting well acquainted. From story time to breakfast at Java. There

looks to be quite the connection between our bookstore owner and his daughters.

Stay tuned!

Damnit, Tate. That girl is always sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong. I really don’t need the entire damn town gossiping about me. About me and Laken. It’s bad enough that I don’t understand this pull I have toward her. Having them throwing in their two cents isn’t going to help.