“Do you need me to grab anything else?” Mia asks me.

I look around the room at the bowling alley and think we have everything we need for Maisy’s party. “Nope, just missing you, beautiful.”

“I’ll be there soon,” she tells me before we hang up, and I take a moment to admire Maisy. She is chatting with a group of girls she invited to the party, and I don’t think she could be more excited about today.

“Do you think she’ll show?” Rianna asks me, and I know she’s referring to her mother.

“I don’t know. When I talked to her, she sounded off.”

“What do you mean?”

I’m not gonna beat around the bush. “I think she’s drinking again.”

“Really? Why?”

I didn’t want to talk to Georgia in the first place, but Maisy said she wanted to give her a chance and that she wanted me to invite her to the party, so I called. “I could just tell in her voice.” Plus, when I called the place she said she was working at, they said they don’t have an employee by her name, but a patient. And I still wonder why would she be in the same clothes for two days in a row when she showed up? In all honesty, I think she’s hit her rock bottom and only came back for a free place to live. But I won’t give that information to Rianna; it’ll only hurt her as she and her sister decided to give Georgia a chance. As their father, it’s my job to protect them . . . always.

“You really think she’d do that to Maisy?”

“I do, honey.” I hate to tell Rianna this, but I know she’s strong enough to understand. Alcohol addiction is no joke, I’ve seen the struggle firsthand with Georgia, and it’s a very sad, sad thing.

“I hope she doesn’t ruin the party, Dad.”

“I won’t let that happen.”

The host comes in, letting us know the lanes are ready, and a flood of girls head for the door. She moves out of their way and comes to stand by me.

“Will you be bowling, sir?”

“Ah, probably not.”

“Come on, Dad,” Rianna says, and I roll my eyes.

“Fine, I’ll need a size eleven shoe,” I tell the girl.

“And we’ll also need a woman’s seven,” Rianna says.

I look at her confused. “It’s for Mia.”

“How do you know her shoe size?”

“We wear the same.”

“Oh, good to know.” Right as I finish the sentence, the door opens. All the wind is stripped from my lungs as Mia stands there in a tight ass pair of white skinny jeans and . . . oh fuck, her nipples are hard as they scream at me to suck them through her soft gray top.

“Hey, babe,” I tell her and kiss her cheek.

She kisses me back and then hugs Rianna. “Where’s the birthday girl?”

Both Rianna and I point into the bowling alley where the group of girls now are. Mia sets the presents on the table, and we head toward Maisy.

“She here?” Mia whispers, and I shake my head. I think we’re both on edge about what the day will bring. I could only imagine a drunken Georgia giving it a last-ditch effort and ruining the day.

“There’s the birthday girl!” Mia exclaims, sweeping Maisy into a big hug. The two embrace as the host sets our shoes on the floor.

I smile at Maisy as she holds Mia back, she doesn’t seem to be bothered one bit by the fact that her mother is missing, which is surprising to me. However, I’m proud of her. I’m proud of both my girls. They have learned to be without their mother, so this is second nature to them. The way life is supposed to be, I guess.

“Dad, will you help me program the names?” Rianna asks, and I sit next to her on the tiny bench as we divide up the two lanes. The girls are all laughing and yelling, having a great time and I know we’re in for a fun day.

As the games begin, I sit back. Mia plops down on my knee, arousing everything inside me. “She seems happy,” she says.

“She is.” And it’s the truth.

* * *

After falling and busting my ass, then laughing so much about it while we bowled my abs hurt, we’re finally done. I’m not sure how many games we played, but it was a lot, and it felt good to just act like a kid again. Not to stress about all the problems in life.

The day went off without a hitch, and that included the absence of Georgia, which really didn’t seem to bother either of the girls.

I look in the rearview mirror at Maisy and catch her attention. “Did you have fun, birthday girl?”

“Oh my God, Dad, it was the best. Thank you for everything!”

“Of course.” I would pull the sun from the sky if it made her happy, so a bowling party was nothing.

We park in the driveway next to Mia’s car. She left the party early to start on Maisy’s birthday dinner. I have to be honest, I fuckin’ love coming home to her in my house.

“It smells so good,” Maisy says as she and Rianna crowd around Mia.

“I hope it tastes just as good,” Mia retorts.

I walk up behind them all and look into the bubbling marinara sauce. With my chin on Mia’s shoulder, I kiss her cheek and hug my girls. “What can I help you with?” Maisy asks.

“Not a thing. This is your birthday meal.”

She giggles and says, “Can we bring my presents in?” I nod, causing her and Rianna to run off.

“What can I help you with, beautiful?” I slide my hands around the front of her and then glide them up her sexy body. My cock hardens behind her, and I pull her backside against it.

“I think I got it.”

“Good. Can you turn it down for a bit? I want you.”

“Mm-hmm,” she moans too softly as I kiss her neck.

“I need you, now.”

“Later.”

“Don’t say that.” I rub her tits, knowing what it does to her. She just gently urges my hands away.

“After dinner.”

“You’re killing me.”

She looks over at me and rolls her eyes. The only reason I relent is that the front door opens, reminding me that we aren’t alone. Now is not the time to mess around, but she makes it so hard to control myself.

The girls sit at the table to go through Maisy’s gifts. Mia opens the fridge, takes out the salad, and passes it to me. “Can you put this on the table?”

I listen to her like I always do. Then she gives me some plates and silverware so I can set the table. Within ten minutes, we’re ready to eat.

“Is it done already?”

“Yup, and it’s hot, so be careful,” Mia says, carrying a huge tray. I never envisioned her as the domestic type, but boy does she fit the part.

As we begin to serve ourselves, I pay particular attention to Maisy. She has a permanent smile on her face today. I really think she had a good time, and that is all that matters. The necklace I bought for her, which I know is her favorite gift, hangs around her neck.

“The food tastes amazing,” Maisy says, shoving another bite of pasta into her mouth. Her words move me to take my first bite, and I’d have to agree. Mia is a great cook.

“I got this, I got this,” Rianna suddenly says in a deep mocking tone, and I know just what she’s referring to. The girls all bust out laughing, referring to my little slip I had at the bowling alley today.

“You know, in my defense, they just waxed those floors.”

“You aren’t supposed to step across the line,” Mia says.

“You sore, dad?” Rianna asks, making them all laugh harder.

“I didn’t fall all the way down!” I try to defend myself, but we all know I was completely flat on my ass when I fell. The girls erupt into a chaos of laughter. But it’s a sound and sight that I love. My girls, all three of them, together and giving me a hard time—the way life’s supposed to be.

After we eat, Mia says, “Come downstairs. We have one more present for you.”

“You do?” Maisy’s eyes go wide, and she’s already headed down.

“Yup!” We all follow her downstairs. While I had the girls out all day on different adventures, Mia spent the morning getting Maisy’s room ready.

Maisy is basically bouncing up and down as Mia reaches for the door and Rianna asks her, “Are you ready?”

“Yes!” she shouts, and Mia flings the door open.

I haven’t seen the room yet, but it is amazing. The new teal and leopard theme looks awesome, and the removable wallpaper is perfect. Maisy clasps her hands over her mouth and tears break the rims of her eyes as she spins around in her new room, taking it all in.

“Oh my God,” she cries out, and we all freeze and exchange a worried look. For a split second, my stomach drops and I think she’s about to turn and start screaming at me. Instead, she launches herself into my arms.

“Thank you, Dad.”

“You’re welcome. Happy birthday. Now, go check it out!” She and Rianna both take running leaps at the bed, and I lean closer to Mia. “Thank you, Mia,” I whisper to her and then kiss her on the cheek.