We both laugh and joke about the numerous ways Mr. Kind threatened to make me disappear before we arrive in downtown Greer. The moment I spot my two little girls bopping down the sidewalk, hand-in-hand with Kerry, my heart races.

It took some convincing, over a month to be exact, but I welcome the idea of my daughters making friends. Ari’s smile is as bright as ever for her first day out in our new town. I can’t shield them from every bad person on earth, but I can expose them to the good, to people who can enrich lives and make way for my girls to enrich others.

And well, if the people of this town are as good and pure-hearted as Kerry, then I’m willing to give them a chance.

“Daddy! You made it!” Syd runs into my arms, adorable as ever, with her butterfly clipped braids and compression sleeve decorated with butterflies to match.

“Hey, hey, hey, now. Didn’t I tell you to relax your arm for the day? You’re flapping them around like a chicken when you run.” I playfully tease her while spinning her around.

“And shouldn’t you be in the bed or soakin’ in the tub after I whooped your butt last night? You shouldn’t ever try to break dance again!” Syd fires back.

I hear Ari and Kerry’s soft voices in the background and manage to tear my attention away from Syd to my other little angel—the one whose mind is surely racing with her insecurities, the one who’s extraordinary in every way but simply wants to be seen as normal. She’s wearing a sporty shorts set with her full self on display, and she’s perfect.

I gasp, dramatic on purpose, hoping to pull a smile from her face. “Is that my Ari wearing shimmery nail polish nearly blinding me? Or is that just your perfect smile?”

She giggles. “Dad!” Rolling her eyes. “Do you like my nails? What about my hair? Look at my curls! They’re so pretty. Ms. Kind did them. We’re twinsies now.”

“You look beautiful, baby girl.” I hug her with one arm while still holding Syd.

Then, I look at Kerry with admiration and add, “Good afternoon, Kerry. You look beautiful as well.”

She blushes, but I don’t quite know why. She knows she’s gorgeous, and she knows how hard it is for me to take my eyes off her.

Unless the girls have something to say about it, of course.

“Ooh, Daddy’s giving my Ms. Kind googly eyes again.” Syd interrupts our moment.

I sigh, rolling my eyes while Kerry blushes even harder.

We all hold hands and step into the ice cream shop for our first family day and Kerry’s official first day out in public as my girlfriend.

Chapter 13

New Beginnings, New Friends – Vic