Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 95559 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 478(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95559 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 478(@200wpm)___ 382(@250wpm)___ 319(@300wpm)
The sentence comes out in one long, rushed breath, her words falling into each other, and I can’t help smiling at the sheer cuteness of this little five-year-old sitting in front of me.
“Well, I love pink and purple and glitter, so you did a great job. Thank you.”
I quickly glance at Kyler and notice he’s watching me with an amused smile. But it’s the way his eyes seem to have lost the tension which often appears around them that makes me realize how much this meeting means to him as well as me.
“Uncle Kyler, are we having ice cream?” Lacey asks as she pulls at his arm, bringing his attention back to her.
“Of course. Have you decided what flavor you’d like?”
“Chocolate and bubble gum and peanut butter and strawberry!”
This time I’m the one with the amused smile because, yikes, it’s a flavor combination even the hardiest ice cream enthusiast would find challenging to eat. But Kyler handles his niece’s demands like a pro.
“I don’t know, Lacey,” he says playfully as he gently tugs on one of her pigtails, “those are pretty epic flavors. What if I get them all for you, and you turn even sweeter and cuter than you already are?”
“You’re silly, Uncle Ky. Ice cream can’t do that!” she giggles, and the sound is so infectious, I can’t help but join in.
“Okay, but just so I can be sure, maybe you should stick to two flavors this time?”
Lacey sighs dramatically, almost as if she’s smart enough to realize Kyler is attempting to tone down her sugar intake, so I offer a compromise.
“Hey Lacey, how about I get chocolate and peanut butter, and you get bubble gum and strawberry, and we can share?” She lights up immediately at my suggestion and turns to Ky.
“Can I, Uncle Kyler? Can I? Pleaaassseeeee?”
“Are you sure you don’t mind?” Kyler asks me.
“Perfectly sure. Chocolate and peanut butter is my favorite combination.”
“Okay, well, that’s settled. Do you want sprinkles as well, Lacey?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Okay, I’ll go place our order.”
After Kyler returns from the counter, we chat about Lacey’s school and how Miss Peterson is her favorite teacher. She tells me her best friends are Poppy, Ezra and Kehlani, and Miss Peterson sometimes has to make them sit at separate tables because they’re always talking. She says Kehlani already knows what she wants to be when she grows up (a princess) and Poppy and Ezra think she’s silly because there are no real-life princesses.
“But I know it’s not true ‘cos Miss Meghan married a prince, and they live happily ever after,” Lacey tells me with finality. To be fair, she has a point.
“Do you want to be a princess too?” I ask her, wondering which prince can be a likely candidate to match Lacey’s effervescent personality.
Lacey shakes her head vigorously in response. “Nope! I wanna play ice hockey like my Uncle Kyler.”
My eyes shoot to Ky’s who’s looking at his niece in wonder. I can tell by the shock on his face this is news to him, and Lacey hasn’t mentioned this before.
“You do?” I continue, prompting her to tell us why she’s decided this.
“Uh-huh. I asked my momma for ice skates for my birthday, but I don’t know whether I’ll get them because she says we can’t accord them.”
Kyler furrows his brow as he looks at his niece. “She said you can’t afford them?” he asks, correcting the mix-up in her words.
“Uh-huh.”
“Goddammit!” Ky mutters under his breath, aware there are little ears around. Lacey’s comment has annoyed him, and it doesn’t take a genius to work out why. Money is an issue in the Rose household, and Kyler hates that his niece suffers as a result. Nevertheless, he’ll no doubt do everything he can to ensure Lacey gets her wish, and one of her presents she’ll open on her birthday will be the ice skates she so desperately wants.
“She said I can have a hockey shirt instead, but I wanna learn to skate, so I can be as good as Uncle Kyler is,” Lacey continues as if she hasn’t just dropped the money bomb on her uncle’s lap.
“He is a great ice skater for sure,” I agree with her. It’s an understatement. Kyler is an exceptional ice skater and hockey player. I’ve no doubt he’ll be drafted and will be able to move on to big and better things. More importantly, he’ll be able to care for his family without the pressure he’s under now.
“He’s the bestest!” Lacey beams her toothy smile at her uncle, and my heart melts a little bit more. After eating some more of her ice cream, she looks up at me with those big puppy-dog eyes kids like to use when they’re about to ask you for something they want. “Miss Thea?”
“Yes, Little Miss Lacey?”
“Please will you come to my birthday party?”