“It’s growling, huh?”
“Yeah.” She lowered her voice, mimicking a monster. “It’s saying ‘I want pancakes!’”
“Oooh, pancakes sound good!”
Becca and I both looked up, pleasantly surprised to see Dani coming toward us with a smile on her face . . . wearing that pink robe.
“Dani!” Becca jumped off her chair and ran over, practically knocking Dani over with her hug.
Dani let out a soft giggle. “Good morning. I heard the word ‘pancake,’ and my Spidey senses went off.”
“We’re gonna go out for breakfast. Wanna come?” Becca asked excitedly.
Dani looked over at me. “Uh . . . do I have time to shower?”
I nodded. “I haven’t showered, either, and Logan isn’t even awake yet. We have some time.”
Becca whipped around and frowned at me. “Not too much time, though. Right, Dad? I’m starving, remember?”
“You’re starving, are ya?” I reached out and snatched her up in the air, tickling her armpits as she squirmed wildly to get away.
“Stop! Stop!” Becca squealed in between giggles. “Dani said she’s hungry, too. Get her!”
My eyes flashed to Dani’s half a second before she realized what Becca had said. “Wait? What? No.” She held her hands up in front of her defensively as I set Becca on the ground and playfully stalked toward her. “No. Seriously. Stop. I’m not even tick—”
I didn’t even let her finish her sentence before I jabbed my fingers into the sides of her robe and started tickling her furiously. She threw her head back, laughing loudly as she twisted and writhed, trying desperately to get away from me. “You’re not even what?” I teased, continuing my assault on her ribs. “You’re not even ticklish? You sure seem ticklish.”
Becca covered her mouth with her hands, laughing almost as hard as Dani.
“You!” Dani called out playfully, pointing at Becca. “This is all your fault. Get over here!” She swiped her arms toward Becca, who squealed and ran away toward the living room.
I stopped tickling Dani but didn’t let go. Instead I wrapped my arms around her waist and held on for dear life. “Want me to let go?” I said, leaning in so close my face was practically buried in her neck.
She turned her head slightly toward me, speaking softly. “I’m not sure yet.”
Adrenaline shot through me as I lifted my head in surprise. “Wait. You’re not sure of what?”
“If I want you to let me go.”
“Seriously?! I figured you were gonna say yes.”
“Do you want me to say yes?”
“No!”
The way we were standing left me in a bit of trouble. On one hand, I didn’t want to let go, ever, but on the other, if she kept talking in that low, sexy voice, she was going to know exactly how much I liked her when I impaled her hip bone.
“Daddy, I’m hungry!” Becca whined dramatically, stomping into the kitchen.
“Looks like you better let go now, huh?” Dani let her head fall back against my chest.
I leaned my chin against the side of her head. “Not until you agree to spend the day with us.”
“Please, Dani?” pleaded Becca, clasping her hands together as she tucked them under her chin. “Please, please, please.”
“As long as you promise to sit by me at breakfast?” Dani said to Becca. Becca reacted as I imagine she would if Dani told her she had bought her a bright pink unicorn that would follow her around, leaving a trail of Skittles and glitter wherever she went. Her eyes widened as big as I’d ever seen, and her mouth dropped open. “You want me to sit by you?”
“Of course! You’re my buddy,” Dani said warmly, earning herself another huge hug. I let go just as Becca threw her arms around Dani, and I walked over to the table to grab my coffee cup. Taking one last swig, I put it in the sink.
“Okay, let’s all go get ready and meet by the front door in thirty?”
“Sounds good to me,” Dani answered with a sexy smile, squeezing my hand as she walked past.
“Loser buys breakfast,” I called out, reluctantly letting go of her fingers.
She whipped around, staring at me wide-eyed. “Deal!” A wicked grin danced across her lips before she turned back and ran down the hall toward her room.
Making a mental note to talk to her about this sudden change later, I grabbed Becca, threw her over my shoulder, and sprinted up the steps, refusing to lose the front-door challenge.
I showered in record time and tossed shaving out the window, something I hardly ever did. After I threw on khaki shorts and my favorite Dave Matthews Band T-shirt from my college days, I sprinted into Logan’s room.