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"Shit," I h my hair

"Shit," Lilly says, and mimics my action

My eyes widen and I shake my head "No, honeyyou can't say that word It's bad"

"Then how come you say it?" she asks with her head cocked to the side

"Umwell, okayit's not a bad word, but only daddies can say it"

"Oh, okay," she chirps, as if that makes all the sense in the world And I feel da sense to a toddler

Giving her knee a pat, I step back and close the door Fishing my cell phone out ofGracen to ask her about lunch and naps But I can't do that She's at work

So I dial the next best option right now

As I get into the driver's seat, Reed answers on the second ring

"Is Josie there?" I ask him I don't have Josie's phone nuest fan anyway based on how I've treated Gracen so far

"Yeahsure," he says, and then I hear him say, "It's for you"

"Hello?" she says hesitantly in the phone

"Josieit's me Marek"

"What's up?" she asks, sounding pleasantly open right now

"So, is it dangerous for a kid to miss their nap?"

"Pardon?"

"If I don't give Lilly her nap today, are there any dangerous side effects?"

"There are," she says gravely, andvery complicated Maybe I don't feed her and just have her sleep instead

"What sort of co over me

"You'll probably have a very cranky toddler by 7 PM," she says with a laugh "Why?"

Relief courses throughrab some lunch By the time we're done, she'll have missed nap time"

"Relax," she says with a laugh "She'll sleep if she needs to sleep I've seen kids fall asleep in their lunch mac and cheese before But she may not sleep Just depends"

"But she won't die if she doesn't?" I ask to make sure

"No, she won't die, Marek"

"Cool Thanks" I say, and then disconnect the phone Turning infun?"

She nods ateyes

"Then buckle up, little girl, because we're going to Dave and Buster's for cheeseburgers and arcade games"

"I'm already buckled up," she points out

"We need to work on relaxing your literal interpretation," I tellwheel so we can get this party started

Nap be damned!

Chapter 12

Gracen

My phone dings and I grab it off my dresser to take a quick peek Instantly my stomach churns and my hands start to sweat Another text from Owen