I scream.

He grunts.

Mark stands with the hose in his hand and shakes his head at us. "Cool it," he says, squirting us again. "Shit. You're both drenched. You're useless to me now. Get out of here."

We run, hand in hand, to his bike. I jump on the pegs, soaking wet clothes and all. Leaning in as close as I can, I envelop him in my arms.

He tilts his head to look up at me. "I'm sorry about what I said yesterday, but I don't like the thought of sharing you either. No more games. You're my girl now, Luce."

And I swoon.

Just a little.

***

We end up at the river, sitting on the grass and looking out at the water. "So things are good at home—with your dad I mean, he's okay now?"

"I think so. He hired a full-time, live-in nanny."

"I know."

"How do you know?"

"Mom told me last night." He comes closer and throws a lazy arm around my shoulders. "She organized it. Helped him interview for the right one. She's been there every day watching over things."

My eyes go wide. "What? Why would—"

He shrugs, like what he's saying isn't a big deal. "Because she cares about me, and I care about you, so it's important to her."

I press my cheek against his chest to hide my blush. "She lives in the garage apartment. Her name's Virginia."

He scoffs. "Sounds like vagina."

***

We're both laughing when he rides up my driveway. But it stops when we see Dad sitting on the porch playing cars with the kids.

Cameron's shoulders tense beneath my hands, but he doesn't say anything. They stay that way until we come to a stop at the bottom of the porch steps. I hop off the pegs and brush down my clothes, nervous at the situation about to play out. Cameron stares down at the ground, the muscles in his jaw working back and forth. Then Lincoln shouts his name, causing him to look up.

The grin on Cam's face is instant.

Liam follows behind Linc, the same time the front door opens and Logan and Lucas walk out. Not Jackass Logan, my brother Logan.

Lincoln barrels into Cam, his arms wrapped tightly around his waist. "Are you back now? Are you gonna start playing with us again?"

"I can have the bases set up in two minutes," Lucas says, and even though he's only three years younger than us, I can see he's just as excited to see Cam as the rest of them.

"Yeah yeah," Logan joins in.

Dad clears his throat. "It's getting late," he drawls.

"I'll see you guys at the game tomorrow," Cam says to Lincoln and Liam. To me he asks, "You'll be there, too, right?"

I start to answer but Dad cuts in. "She won't be at the game."

"Oh." Any signs of excitement leave him. "I guess I'll see you at school then."

Dad's heavy feet thud against the porch steps as he makes his way down to us.

I don't know if Cam realizes, but he steps in front of me, becoming a shield between my dad and I. My dad's eyes narrow, but the corner of his lips lift. Dad's a big guy, intimidating to most. Cameron just hasn't read him right.

I hold his hand and squeeze once, so he understands that it's okay—that things are settled and that I'm not afraid of him. Not anymore.

"Lucy," Dad says, his voice softening. "Tomorrow's the first Sunday of the month."

My breath catches. "But..."

Cam steps to the side now, allowing Dad and I to speak.

"I know we've never done it—you and me." Dad rubs his hand across his beard. "And I know that it was a day for you and your mom. But she's not here anymore, Lucy, it's just me now. So I'd like to take you out tomorrow. Just the two of us. If you'll have me."

CHAPTER EIGHT

-LUCY-

"You look exhausted." I giggle, watching Dad rub his eyes.

"I'm fine, sweetheart." He takes a sip of his coffee. "So this is what you and Mom did? Shop for two hours?"

I nod. "That's just clothes. We haven't hit the bookstore yet."

His eyes widen in shock, but he reins it in quickly. "And how long does that normally take? A half hour?"

My head throws back in laughter. "No, that's the best part of our day. Normally around four—"

He chokes on his coffee.

"But I can be quick. I have a list. Two—tops."

He shakes his head, his grin getting wider. "It's your day, you take as long as you need."

***

Dad falls asleep in a chair at the bookstore. He snores so loud that people start complaining. I make quick work of the books I need and chuckle while I shake him awake. "Kathy?" he mumbles. And it's no longer funny.

"No, Dad, it's Lucy. I got what I need. We can go now."

He looks at his watch. "We've only been here an hour."

"It's okay." I smile sadly. "There's one more place I want to take you."

***

I take him to the river—the one that runs behind Cameron's house. "You trust me, right?"

He eyes me warily. "Yes."

I take my shoes off and motion for him to do the same. He hesitates for a moment before agreeing. We walk into the water as far as I can go. I hold both his hands and get him to face me. "I used to hold it all in, like you do. I kept it inside for so long that I felt like I was going to burst. It was constant—this ache in my heart because I missed her so much."