“You’re sorry for what, sweetheart?” She asked, leaning down until she was face to face with Reagan.

“I threw the fry at you and I’m very sorry that I did it. Those were beautiful pants, and I’ll use my Tooth Fairy money to buy you new ones,” she whispered.

Oh, she was laying it on thick.

She didn’t have any tooth fairy money. Nor did she have any intention of paying for anything.

In fact, she’d done way worse and hadn’t given a shit before, so I was wondering what she was playing at.

Then Harleigh, the spawn of Satan, poked her little nose into the mix.

Harleigh was Max and Payton’s eldest child, and you’d never know that she was born nearly four months premature.

She was just as big as Reagan was, and had an attitude as wide as the day was long.

I didn’t know how Max could put up with all that was Harleigh. Then to add his wife, my so called sister, into the mix…well, let’s just say that it wasn’t fair to the man and leave it at that.

“You have beautiful hair, ma’am!” Harleigh said in her syrupy sweet, southern accent.

Lennox fucking melted under the little hands of two eight year olds.

My God, but she didn’t even look mad anymore!

Clearly I was using their powers of persuasion for all the wrong things!

“I’m here, now let’s get this party started!” A loud, very obviously gay man, announced loudly.

He had a gift bag in one hand, and a cake box in the other, eyes on the scene in front of him.

When Lennox turned around to confront the newcomer, his eyes swept the length of her, and stalled on her crotch.

“Wow,” the man said. “What’s going on with your vagina?”

Lennox growled at him in warning, causing me to nearly laugh.

Yet, I somehow held it in, which was a good thing seeing as she turned around in a whirlwind of brown hair and anger.

“Let me have your shirt!” She ordered, gesturing to my chest.

I looked down at my KPD polo, and then shook my head. “No way. I’m not wearing anything underneath this.”

She hissed, then her eyes lit on my KPD windbreaker that was lying on the seat of the booth, and she snatched it greedily before wrapping it around her shoulders.

It swallowed her.

In fact, it looked like a nightgown. Yet, I guess I could see why she’d need it. I wouldn’t want to walk around with that, either.

Once she had the jacket zipped up, she looked back at me smugly.

“I’ll get it back to you. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you again.”

I shrugged.

I had two more of them at home, so it was no skin off my nose.

She could’ve at least asked, though.

“Whatever,” I said, turning back around and taking my seat once again.

The girls moved around as well, reclaiming their seat and looking quite contrite.

“Daddy, I…” I held my hand up before Reagan could finish her sentence.

“Not another word. Eat your food and we’ll be leaving. Not another word,” I snapped.

Reagan scrunched her nose up but, nonetheless, started eating, and I was grateful.

I loved her to death, but there were times when she was extremely trying.

Reagan had been born when I was seventeen.

She’d never had a mother figure other than her Aunt Payton and my mother, and had always gotten anything she’d ever wanted. She was a spoiled brat, and I had no one to blame but myself.

As I finished my steak, wondering why the hell I’d said yes to watching Harleigh on my only night off this week, and then had made the second mistake of taking the two of them to their favorite restaurant, I studied my girl.

She was the spitting image of her mother.

Which was nauseating at times.

Corrinne, Reagan’s mother, was the first love of my life.

I’d thought we had something good until, one day, I’d gone to a party looking for her, and found her passed out with two guys that had been in the process of trying to take advantage of her and another girl.

Yet, what I didn’t know, at the time, was that Corrinne had been part of the act, and had been fully aware the whole time.

She was just one hell of an actress.

When my sister had tried to take her to the hospital and get her to report what had happened to the police, her conscience had gotten the best of her, and she’d explained what had really happened.

After I’d found out, I’d broken up with her, but there’d be one tiny detail that would bring us back together and force us to make nice when I wanted nothing to do with her.

Reagan Rose.

If Corrinne had had her way, Reagan wouldn’t even exist today.

I’d convinced her to have Reagan, even though her parents had been telling her to have the abortion.

Once Reagan had been born, Corrinne had changed her mind and had tried to keep her. I’d fought her for nearly four months, but before Reagan was even in the picture I’d signed up for the Navy. And I’d had to report to boot camp before the final judge’s decision had been announced.

I’ll never know what divine forces had been at work at that time, but I thanked the Lord every day for my beautiful brown headed girl. For all the people that helped me bring her home.

I loved the little girl to death, even when she was being a turd like she had been tonight.

“How do you know that lady, Uncle Benny Bear?” Harleigh asked.

I winced.

Payton had taught all of her kids to call me that, and I had a feeling it would forever be my name, no matter how hard I tried.

It was bad enough that all of the men at the station were calling me that, too.

Yet, Payton didn’t seem to care how embarrassing it was.

“I met her the other day when I got my stitches,” I explained patiently.

Harleigh nodded.

“Do those hurt? They’re going to scar,” Harleigh observed.

“No, they don’t hurt. And yes, they’ll probably scar,” I answered as I tossed the last piece of steak into my mouth.

Eight year old girls were incredibly curious, yet these two didn’t act like most eight year olds. They were little tom boys that acted more like a male child would, rather than a female child.

I could see how mine was like that, seeing as it was just me and her. Harleigh had her mother and two sisters at home.

“You know you make my momma cry when you get hurt,” Harleigh accused.

I blinked. “I do?”

She nodded sagely. “Yep. And daddy has to tell her to get a grip.”

“Hmm,” I said dryly. “Your mommy needs a little help in that department. Maybe next time you can tell her to take a chill pill.”

“Do you have a gun on?” Harleigh asked.

Always so curious.

“Yes, I do,” I answered honestly.

I was a cop. And I was a SEAL before that. I didn’t go anywhere unarmed. Ever.

“Where is it? Can I hold it? What kind is it?”

Harleigh smiled, looking exactly like her mom, and I sighed.

“Alright you two, if you’re done, let’s get going. I have to be at work right after y’all have to be at school in the morning, and I have a shit ton of stuff to do,” I said to the pair.

“Mommy also says you have a potty mouth,” Harleigh said, grabbing her tea and scooting out of the booth.

“That’s because he does have a potty mouth,” Lennox tossed over her shoulder.

I hadn’t realized she’d sat directly behind us, and I wondered how much of our conversations she’d heard.

“Let’s go girls,” I said, putting a hand on each of their heads and steering each of them out of the crowded restaurant and to the parking lot.

All the while I felt the watchful eye of a woman who most likely hated my guts.

Why, when I hadn’t done anything to her, I didn’t know. But, oh well. Wouldn’t be the first woman that disliked me and definitely wouldn’t be the last.

By the time I got home, twenty minutes later, the two hellions in the backseat were knocked smooth out, and I was thinking that they used to be a lot easier to get inside and tucked into bed when they were smaller.