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.She'll see." He leaned forward and kissed Trey again."Now.You go shower, and your daughter and I will get to making you pancakes.Then there will be magic."Trey met Deuce's gaze."There's already been magic." He left the kitchen without another word.***Deuce had enjoyed all of Lacey's magic tricks.Many times.He hadn't ever said he was too busy to watch, but he did spend a lot of time in the backyard with the dogs for a couple of days.Eventually, though, it was time to take her home to her mother's house, and for the first time -- probably the last -- Deuce was going along.He rounded up the dogs and made sure that the two babies were in their crate and that Q was comfortable on her bed, then gathered his things for work.He'd be late, but that was okay.This was important."Everyone ready?" he asked as he slung his bag over his shoulder.He wished his stomach would settle down.Lacey stood in the middle of the kitchen with her school backpack and only one shoe on.She pointed to her sock foot and looked silently at Deuce."Hmm.I see.Where's your shoe gone to? Canada?"She laughed.Deuce saw Trey smile as he put the last of the breakfast dishes in the dish rack to dry."We colored Canada on our maps at school.If you have a book of maps, that's called an atlas.We're making atlases.""You can't find your shoe in an atlas, Boo.Check under the bed again." Trey dried his hands and plucked his keys off the hook next to the back door."I diiiiid," she moaned, but disappeared down the hallway anyway.Trey rubbed his face."The last time she lost her shoe, she didn't tell me until we were in Holly's driveway.That was fun.""We'll make sure she has all her shoes," Deuce told him, trying to be soothing."She has everything else, and I went over her magic kit to make sure she has all the pieces.There won't be any reason for Holly to get pissed.About that, anyway.""Holly will get pissed if Lacey's shoe is untied.She--" he cut himself off as Lacey re-entered the kitchen, holding her shoe."It wasn't under the bed, Dad." She sat down on the floor to pull it on."Oh, yeah? Where was it, Lace?""Six put it in my closet." She stood again and brushed her bangs out of her face."Ready."Trey steered her toward the front door."Come on, I have to bring you to Mom's before school.Get in the truck.""I'll meet you there," Deuce said, heading to his car."Don't lose me.""Not by choice," Trey replied with a smile.He went to his truck and checked to make sure Lacey was buckled in the back, her magic kit, suitcase, and backpack beside her.Then he slid behind the wheel and pulled out of the driveway.Deuce pulled out behind him and followed, paying close attention to traffic.It was amazing how many times cars approached from the side, threatening to get in between them.He'd never noticed it before.He knew the drive to Holly's wasn't that far, but it still seemed to be far too quick before they were pulling onto a quiet street, out of the flow of people rushing to their jobs.Deuce would have preferred to live a lot farther away on that particular morning.Trey pulled into the driveway of a modest yellow house with white trim.The lawn and hedges were neat, probably due to a gardener, and the hydrangea bushes that bloomed next to the front door were full and round.It looked like a welcoming place.This was where Trey and Holly had lived together, Deuce realized.Lacey bounced out of the back of the truck cab before the engine was even turned off.She reached into the truck and grabbed her backpack, slinging it over one shoulder and making her way up the stone pathway to the front door.Trey followed more slowly, Lacey's suitcase and magic box in hand.Deuce got out of his car and walked with long strides to catch up to Trey."I assume she's up and ready for her day and stuff.If she's in her bathrobe I'm probably going to turn tail and run.Just so you know where my courage falters." It was an important thing for a boyfriend to know."She'll be up." Trey sounded resigned and determined at the same time."Fridays are her days to volunteer in Lacey's classroom." He watched as Lacey used her key to open the front door."Hey, Lace, tell your mom we're out here, okay?""'Kay." She vanished through the front door and left it standing wide open.Soon enough, Holly appeared.She looked as put-together as always, her straight blonde hair a curtain down her back and contrasting with the deep blue blouse she was wearing."Hello," she said when she saw both of them."We're making this a family affair, now? Wait, except one of us isn't part of the family.""Have I done something specific I should apologize for?" Deuce asked before he could stop himself."No," Trey answered for Holly."Holls, chill out, please.We want to talk to you."She leaned against the doorframe and folded her arms."You have ten minutes."Trey took a deep breath and let it out quietly."Okay, the thing is.you were right.Deuce and I are involved.Lacey doesn't know anything about it."Holly's expression didn't change, but Deuce saw her gaze flick to him and then back to Trey."But she will, eventually," Deuce said quietly."So we're giving you the courtesy of a heads-up, first.We didn't want you to find out from her, by accident.""Oh, thank you." It was clear by her tone that she meant anything but."And how do you plan on telling her?""You already told her I'm gay," Trey said with an eye roll."I should have been part of that conversation.We're already showing you more courtesy than you did for me.We'll tell her the next time she's with me." He paused and leveled Holly with a stare."And don't tell her before we do, Holly.Show me that much damn respect.""I wouldn't even begin to know how to tell her something like this." Holly straightened up and her hair fell around her shoulders."Daddy likes Deuce better than Mommy? Daddy would rather hug and kiss boys than girls? Right." She snorted and shook her head, and for just a moment looked quite sad instead of angry and frustrated."You can tell her.But after she knows, if she asks me questions about it, I'm going to be honest and tell her what I think and what I feel.""You'll tell her that you'd rather her dad be miserable than happy." Deuce didn't make it a question."Maybe that'll let her know why your marriage didn't last." He turned to go."See you when you get home, Trey.""Wait." Trey reached out a hand to stop him."You don't know anything about me," Holly spat."You can't come to my house and assume you know me just because of what Trey has told you.""No, but I can come here and tell you that you've been nothing but rude and mean to me, a total stranger, with no reason.You don't know me, either [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.She'll see." He leaned forward and kissed Trey again."Now.You go shower, and your daughter and I will get to making you pancakes.Then there will be magic."Trey met Deuce's gaze."There's already been magic." He left the kitchen without another word.***Deuce had enjoyed all of Lacey's magic tricks.Many times.He hadn't ever said he was too busy to watch, but he did spend a lot of time in the backyard with the dogs for a couple of days.Eventually, though, it was time to take her home to her mother's house, and for the first time -- probably the last -- Deuce was going along.He rounded up the dogs and made sure that the two babies were in their crate and that Q was comfortable on her bed, then gathered his things for work.He'd be late, but that was okay.This was important."Everyone ready?" he asked as he slung his bag over his shoulder.He wished his stomach would settle down.Lacey stood in the middle of the kitchen with her school backpack and only one shoe on.She pointed to her sock foot and looked silently at Deuce."Hmm.I see.Where's your shoe gone to? Canada?"She laughed.Deuce saw Trey smile as he put the last of the breakfast dishes in the dish rack to dry."We colored Canada on our maps at school.If you have a book of maps, that's called an atlas.We're making atlases.""You can't find your shoe in an atlas, Boo.Check under the bed again." Trey dried his hands and plucked his keys off the hook next to the back door."I diiiiid," she moaned, but disappeared down the hallway anyway.Trey rubbed his face."The last time she lost her shoe, she didn't tell me until we were in Holly's driveway.That was fun.""We'll make sure she has all her shoes," Deuce told him, trying to be soothing."She has everything else, and I went over her magic kit to make sure she has all the pieces.There won't be any reason for Holly to get pissed.About that, anyway.""Holly will get pissed if Lacey's shoe is untied.She--" he cut himself off as Lacey re-entered the kitchen, holding her shoe."It wasn't under the bed, Dad." She sat down on the floor to pull it on."Oh, yeah? Where was it, Lace?""Six put it in my closet." She stood again and brushed her bangs out of her face."Ready."Trey steered her toward the front door."Come on, I have to bring you to Mom's before school.Get in the truck.""I'll meet you there," Deuce said, heading to his car."Don't lose me.""Not by choice," Trey replied with a smile.He went to his truck and checked to make sure Lacey was buckled in the back, her magic kit, suitcase, and backpack beside her.Then he slid behind the wheel and pulled out of the driveway.Deuce pulled out behind him and followed, paying close attention to traffic.It was amazing how many times cars approached from the side, threatening to get in between them.He'd never noticed it before.He knew the drive to Holly's wasn't that far, but it still seemed to be far too quick before they were pulling onto a quiet street, out of the flow of people rushing to their jobs.Deuce would have preferred to live a lot farther away on that particular morning.Trey pulled into the driveway of a modest yellow house with white trim.The lawn and hedges were neat, probably due to a gardener, and the hydrangea bushes that bloomed next to the front door were full and round.It looked like a welcoming place.This was where Trey and Holly had lived together, Deuce realized.Lacey bounced out of the back of the truck cab before the engine was even turned off.She reached into the truck and grabbed her backpack, slinging it over one shoulder and making her way up the stone pathway to the front door.Trey followed more slowly, Lacey's suitcase and magic box in hand.Deuce got out of his car and walked with long strides to catch up to Trey."I assume she's up and ready for her day and stuff.If she's in her bathrobe I'm probably going to turn tail and run.Just so you know where my courage falters." It was an important thing for a boyfriend to know."She'll be up." Trey sounded resigned and determined at the same time."Fridays are her days to volunteer in Lacey's classroom." He watched as Lacey used her key to open the front door."Hey, Lace, tell your mom we're out here, okay?""'Kay." She vanished through the front door and left it standing wide open.Soon enough, Holly appeared.She looked as put-together as always, her straight blonde hair a curtain down her back and contrasting with the deep blue blouse she was wearing."Hello," she said when she saw both of them."We're making this a family affair, now? Wait, except one of us isn't part of the family.""Have I done something specific I should apologize for?" Deuce asked before he could stop himself."No," Trey answered for Holly."Holls, chill out, please.We want to talk to you."She leaned against the doorframe and folded her arms."You have ten minutes."Trey took a deep breath and let it out quietly."Okay, the thing is.you were right.Deuce and I are involved.Lacey doesn't know anything about it."Holly's expression didn't change, but Deuce saw her gaze flick to him and then back to Trey."But she will, eventually," Deuce said quietly."So we're giving you the courtesy of a heads-up, first.We didn't want you to find out from her, by accident.""Oh, thank you." It was clear by her tone that she meant anything but."And how do you plan on telling her?""You already told her I'm gay," Trey said with an eye roll."I should have been part of that conversation.We're already showing you more courtesy than you did for me.We'll tell her the next time she's with me." He paused and leveled Holly with a stare."And don't tell her before we do, Holly.Show me that much damn respect.""I wouldn't even begin to know how to tell her something like this." Holly straightened up and her hair fell around her shoulders."Daddy likes Deuce better than Mommy? Daddy would rather hug and kiss boys than girls? Right." She snorted and shook her head, and for just a moment looked quite sad instead of angry and frustrated."You can tell her.But after she knows, if she asks me questions about it, I'm going to be honest and tell her what I think and what I feel.""You'll tell her that you'd rather her dad be miserable than happy." Deuce didn't make it a question."Maybe that'll let her know why your marriage didn't last." He turned to go."See you when you get home, Trey.""Wait." Trey reached out a hand to stop him."You don't know anything about me," Holly spat."You can't come to my house and assume you know me just because of what Trey has told you.""No, but I can come here and tell you that you've been nothing but rude and mean to me, a total stranger, with no reason.You don't know me, either [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]