Page 3 of Rising Star

“Daddy, I saw a monkey. And a giraffe. And a potalalamus. Uncle Riley told me we could go back again another time. With you and Maddie. Where’s Maddie? Where’s Maddie? Where’s Maddie?” Justine hopped all around me, unable to stay put for more than a few seconds, her eyes round and glistening and her pigtails bouncing on either side of her head.

I looked behind me. No trace of Madison. I would’ve thought she would come running at the commotion. She never resisted the lure of my daughters’ innate enthusiasm.

I pinched my brows and shrugged. “In her room. I think. Don’t go in. Knock and wait—” My baby girl disappeared before I could finish giving her instructions.

Justine wasn’t very good with personal boundaries. I’d have to tell Madison to lock her bedroom door when she didn’t wish to be disturbed. Or I could buy her a doorknob sign that said Unavailable or something funny to keep the girls out.

Mikaella inched closer, and I lifted her and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “How is it going, sweet pea? Had a great day?”

My daughter sighed. “Yeah. I wanted to stay till late. But Uncle Riley said it was time to go, and if I stayed behind, I’d have to clean the elephants’ cage.” She scrunched up her adorable face. “Ugh, it’s disgusting. Not cleaning elephant poop. It’s huge and smelly. Yucky. Big no.”

Riley, Devon, and I all started laughing when teen-Mikaella made a face that spelled It’s-not-funny-Daddy. I swallowed my chuckle.

“Sweet pea, you’re right. I’m glad you decided to come home.” I ruffled her hair, and she disappeared upstairs after saying goodbye to my friends.

“How did it g—?”

“Daddy. Come. Quick. Maddie is sick,” Justine screamed from the other side of the house where the guest room was.

My eyes traveled between Riley and Devon, and I lifted a finger. “Gimme a sec.” I followed the sound of my daughter’s voice that pleaded, “Hurry, Daddy.”

“What’s wrong, baby girl? I—” My words died on the tip of my tongue when I entered the guest room. Madison lay on the tiled floor in the adjoining bathroom, her face ghostly white and her lips trembling.

I moved closer and squatted beside her, combing the loose tendrils of her hair away from her face. “Hey, talk to me. What’s going on?”

“I’m-I’m sick. I’ve been throwing up for the last hour.” Her eyes were glossy and her hands shaky. I felt her forehead with the back of my palm.

“You’re burning up. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You-you were busy. I didn’t want to bother you. I thought it might just be indigestion.”

“Want me to drive you to the clinic?”

She shook her head. And it took everything I had to not pull her into my arms and kiss her fever away.

“No. It’s probably a stomach bug. Or the flu. I’ll rest tonight. And I should be fine by the morning.”

“Your skin is gray,” Justine said, framing her face with her hands.

“She’s right. You don’t look so fine to me. Wait here. I’ll bring you something for the fever.”

Devon was standing outside the bedroom after I gave Madison the medicine. “Listen, Sam. Riley and I talked. We don’t want the girls to catch something. If it’s okay with ya, we’ll take them home with us tonight.”

I sighed and nodded. She was right. But my stomach free fell at this thought. My girls had only a handful of sleepovers in their lives. And only with their grandparents. That wasn’t how I imagined their first real one to be. But hey, what choice did I have?

“You sure?”

“Affirmative.”

I huffed. “Okay. Let me pack their stuff.”

“I’ll help you. Come on, sweetie,” Devon said to Justine, tugging at her hand. “Let Maddie rest. Your daddy will take good care of her. Now we should get ready because Mika and you are having a sleepover at our place tonight. Isn’t it exciting? I bet Hope will be ecstatic to have friends over.”

Justine bounced on her feet, her smile growing larger by the second.

She singsonged, “Sleeporver. Sleeporver. Sleeporver.”

I shook my head with a grin. This girl.