#Chapter 46 We Want Daddy

Ardal I stared at the mirror as I fussed with my hair, smoothed my black cocktail dress and checked my teeth for stray lipstick, trying to ignore the knot of nerves in my stomach. This is my first date since Kadeem. I want everything to be perfect. A knock rattles the door, and five pairs of feet pound down the hall. The door bursts open—my quintuplets tumble into the room, a tangle of chatter and questions. "Is that what you're wearing,” asks Silas, eyeing my dress. I smile. "You don’t like it?" "You never wear dresses, Mommy," says Lottie. “Tonight’s the kind of thing you have to get a little dressed up for,” I say. Lottie’s not wrong. I pulled this dress out from the very back of my closet. Erbao tugs at the fabric. “We’ve all talked about it. We want you to go on a date with Kadeem, instead.” I swallow hard and rustle his hair. “Not tonight,” I say. All five children erupted into protests. "He saved my life, r