TAKE TWO_ Who says you can't ma - Heather M. Orgeron Page 0,44

of this?”

The coffee table is loaded with bags of all of Ellie’s favorite junk foods. Twix. Skittles. Sour Patch Kids. Hot Tamales. Every flavor of Pringles imaginable. There are balloons and red roses and a handmade card that says “Congratulations” on the front. I pick it off the table and read the note inside, written in her father’s handwriting. “Welcome to womanhood, Squirt. You’re gonna rock it.”

My eyes well. “Ellie, honey. Are you okay?”

My child looks at me from her position on the couch, a jumbo bag of peanut M&Ms in hand and a heating pad situated on her abdomen, and smiles. “I’m great.”

“But weren’t you scared? I should have had this talk with you by now. I totally dropped the ball, mija. I feel awful.”

She waves off my concern. “I already knew what was happening, Mom. I’m not a baby. Dad got me books about it when I was like eight.”

That’s it. It’s official. He is the better parent.

I swallow my tears, choking on my own guilt. “He did?”

“Oh, you’re back.” Father of the Year interrupts our conversation when he strolls out of the kitchen with a steaming cup of hot cocoa for his princess, topped with a heaping blob of marshmallows, just the way she likes it. He sets it on a coaster then grabs me by the arm, pulling me into his chest. With a satisfied groan he presses a kiss to my lips. “Decided to come home early and join the party?”

My eyes shut on their own accord as I bury my face in his neck and inhale a deep breath. He smells delicious. “Is that what this is?” Swear to God, this man never ceases to amaze me. “A party?”

“Duh! We’re celebrating my foray into womanhood, Mom.”

“Here.” I feel a little ridiculous as I hand her the drug store bag filled with a variety of pads and tampons. “There’s a Hershey bar in there too.” I shrug. “I stopped for supplies on my way.”

She peers into the grocery bag, looking less than impressed. I guess I would be too after the production her father put on. He sure knows how to make a girl feel special. My kid is the luckiest daughter in the whole world. “Daddy, wanna go add these to the stash in the bathroom cabinet for me? I’d go, but…” She trails off, motioning with a hand to her current state. “You know… cramps.”

Ay. This girl is going to milk every second of this new monthly ailment.

I trail him to the bathroom, where I find a well-stocked cabinet. Between what the two of us have purchased, she should be set until well into her college years. “I can’t believe you did all of this.”

His forehead creases. “You can’t? Why not?”

“Well, because she’s a girl, and I’m a woman, and isn’t this supposed to be, like, my area of expertise?”

“Nya. Just because we’ve only recently moved in together does not mean I’m new to being a father to that child. I have had a daughter for as long as you have. I’ve been preparing for this for years, just like you.” He shakes his head with a smile. “Give me a little credit here.”

He deserves more than just a little.

“But that’s just it…I haven’t been preparing. I’ve been hiding under a rock, pretending it wasn’t coming. If not for you, she’d have been scared out of her mind.”

His hand falls on my shoulder and squeezes gently. “Then it’s a good thing she has both of us.”

“Why are you better at all of this than me?” I’m fighting the urge to burst into tears. I feel so inadequate all of a sudden.

“It isn’t a competition; we’re on the same team.” His hand grips the frame of the door above my head, and he leans in close. “But if it bothers you that much, you can handle the bras.” His grin is cheeky, and I want to both punch him and kiss him all at once.

I nod, fully intending to take him up on that. “You set the gold standard for fatherhood.” I rise to my tiptoes, placing a chaste kiss to his still smiling lips. “No, I take that back…parenthood.”

“That so?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“You’re not the only one to feel inferior at times, you know?” he says seriously. “You were a much better diaper changer and ponytail maker and hair brusher. I never could compete with your fashion sense. Half the time when she was out with me people asked if she was a girl or a