Chapter 43

Holding back her long hair so it wouldn’t fall into the sink, Abby rinsed the toothpaste out of her mouth, then put her toothbrush back in the cup, which went into the soap holder that stuck out beneath the mirror. “Queens wear crowns,” she said. “Princesses wear tiaras.”

“Aren’t you queen of this house?” Preston asked.

Abby gave him another withering look. “Daddy, please. I’m not oldenough to be queen yet.”

“How old do you have to be to be queen?” he asked.

She tipped her head to one side and thought about it for a long minute. Finally she said, “At least ten, I think.”

He laughed and scooped her up, sweeping her off her feet. “Well, Princess Abigail,” he said as she squealed and squirmed in his arms, “if it pleases Her Royal Highness, it’s time for bed.”

“Daddy!” she shrieked through her giggles. “Put me down!”