Every morning. Every afternoon. Every evening. I find myself the happiest I’ve been in years because of three people—Ari, Syd, and Kerry Kind.

“Morning, Ms. Kind. Are the girls up yet?” I ask playfully, fully aware of the answer.

“You know good and well they’re not!” Kerry laughs back. “You left work early yesterday, then came home and got them all jacked up on cotton candy! You’ve been breaking all the rules lately. What’s happened to you, Mr. Grimes?”

She happened. Kerry’s unexpected emergence in my life gentled the hardened parts of my soul.

“Your recklessness is rubbing off on me.” I playfully remark.

“Oh really? Is it my recklessness or my infectious joy? Because I bet you’re smiling right now.” She laughs.

And she’s right. Smiling is all I’ve been doing lately, much to my own surprise.

“So…” Switching gears, she tones down the cheerfulness. “Today’s the big day. Are you ready?”

“For you to officially be my woman in public? No, of course, I’m not ready.” I admit, as grim as ever.

Kerry laughs softly, “Oh my gosh, I wish I could see your face right now. Everything’s gonna be okay. This will be great for your image, but most importantly, the girls will be so happy to get out and have some fun. So, please don’t be late.”

“I won’t be,” I assure her. “Just make sure Syd takes it easy on her arm this morning. No more dance-offs for a while.”

She beams through the camera with a smile as bright as the morning sun. “Syd’s just as competitive as you, so tell that to yourself! She has to wear her arm compression sleeve all day because y’all are both so dang on stubborn. But don’t worry, I’m turning that sleeve into a fashion statement with some glitter and butterfly patches to match her braids. We had a blast last night, though.”

I chuckle, shaking my head. “You gotta send me pics.”

“Of course,” She replies with a playful grin. “Need anything from me?”

She asks like there’s more I could possibly want beyond her being here, which makes me hesitate for a second.

“Well,” I start, clearing my throat, “are we still on for our evening drink? Your glass of wine?”

“And your shot of whiskey?” she adds with a soft laugh, her voice dipping into that flirtatious charm that always sneaks up on me. “I look forward to our talks.”

“Me too,” I admit, my tone quieter than I intended, but I shake it off quickly. “Now, stop distracting me. I need to at least pretend I’m working. Call me when the girls wake up?”

“Always.” She chuckles as she turns away from the camera with her perfectly curved figure momentarily catching my eye before I forcibly drag my gaze away to refocus.