I sat on the edge of Everly’s fluffy pink bed, holding her heavy, long, freshly washed curls in my hands so she wouldn’t feel the tangles as I brushed them. Hair time followed bath time—a ritual we did every night.

“Here I go. Wish me good luck,” I said.

She snorted. “Good luck, Daddy.”

With her wet hair all combed, I separated it into three sections, starting the painful process of weaving. “I swear, your hair gets thicker and harder to braid every day.”

“It’s ’posed to be easy. You been doing it foreveeer.”

I laughed at her remark. “Cut your old man some slack, little one. Hair isn’t my specialty.”

Braids were something I still couldn’t grasp. Even though I applied equal tightness to each layer, maintaining a steady pattern, it always came out ed up.

Crooked. Partially unbound.

But I tried.

I tied the elastic around the bottom and kissed her cheek. “I survived.”

“Barely.”

I shook my head. “I think you’re going to be a comedian when you grow up.”

“No, Daddy. I’m going to be an animal doctor—you know this.” She turned around and faced me, wiggling her body until her back was against the pillows. The moment she was settled, she pointed to her right. “Now, their turn since you won’t be here to kiss them good night.”

The stuffed animals.

All twelve of them, taking up an entire side of her bed, which had to be arranged in a specific order and pecked or she wouldn’t go to sleep.

A task, like her hair, that had become one of my favorite parts of the day.

I reached across her to line them up, making sure they were balanced and upright, just how she liked them. I finished by placing the lion in front of the pack and asked, “How’s it look, boss?”

“The hippo doesn’t go in back. I tell you that every night. She needs to be in the front by the giraffe.”

“Right, right.” I moved the hippo to the side, straightening the pink skirt we’d bought for the animal, and then adjusted the pink tie that hung from the giraffe’s neck. “How’s that?”

“Muuuch better. Now, kiss each one good night.”

“Each one?”

“Daaaddy, they’ll have bad dreams if we don’t kiss them and say I love you.”

“Whatever you say. You’re the boss.” I quickly pecked the animals and stopped when I reached my baby’s forehead, where I left my lips as I said, “Are you going to be a good girl for Yeji when she watches you tonight?”

“Of course, silly.”

The words that came out of this four-year-old’s mouth constantly made me chuckle.

“I’m the silly one?” I tickled her belly. “I think you hold that title, Miss Eve.”

She snorted. “I’m always a good girl, Daddy.”

“You are. Most of the time.” I tucked a loose strand behind her ear. “You know, I’m going to be with Uncle Soohyuk and Uncle Taeyang tonight.”

Soohyuk and Taeyang weren’t just my older brothers and best friends; they were like second fathers to my daughter.

She crossed her arms and pouted. “Tell them I’m mad at them.”

“Mad?” I smiled. “Why?”

“Uncle Soo promised me pancakes, and I’m waiting. That was, like, foreeever ago.”

“I just made you pancakes yesterday for breakfast.”

“Not your kinda pancakes, Daddy. The kind Uncle Soo gets me with gobs of chocolate and whip—” She slapped her hand over . “Oops. I wasn’t ’posed to tell you that part.”

She thought she was hiding the biggest secret that I couldn’t tell she was hyped up on sugar and covered in chocolate whenever Soohyuk brought her home.

“I’ll let Uncle Soo know that you’re extremely disappointed in him and that he owes you big.” I pushed more loose strands off her forehead. “What about Uncle Taeyang? What should I tell him?”

She grinned, her eyes widening, her bottom lip. “I want him to take me to the house on the giant mountain, so we can eat all the s’mores outside by the big fire.”

“You want to go to his house in Utah, huh?”

Taeyang had recently purchased a home in Park City, and it had become one of Everly’s most desired places to visit. Mine too. There was nothing like escaping to the mountains, getting to ski on some fresh powder, and unplugging from our busy life in LA.

“Yes, silly.”

“I see someone has a new favorite word.” I hugged her against my chest. “I’m afraid of the teenage version of you. It’s a good thing I have quite a few years before we get there. I need to prep myself.”

“Daddy, I’m going to be so sassy.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.”

We were quiet for a few moments, something unusual for my spunky daughter, and I broke the silence to say, “My little negotiator, I know there’s still a few hours left before you have to go to bed, but in the meantime, let’s not convince Yeji to let you stay up extra late or let you watch something I wouldn’t approve of, okay?”

“Or have a popcorn fight in your bed like last time?”

I leaned back to show her my face. “There most definitely won’t be any of that, do you hear me?” I paused. “I think I’m still finding kernels in there.”

She giggled. “But it was Sooo much fun.”

“I’m sure.” As I moved her against me again, I inhaled the scent from the top of her head, the same smell she’d had since she was born. Even though she now chose her own shampoo and I no longer rubbed her chunky limbs with lotion, her scent, to me, hadn’t changed. I missed that baby whose body was the length of my forearm, but I was proud of the girl she was turning into.

“I’m going to be home late tonight, so I won’t see you until the morning.”

“Is Yeji having a sleepover?”

I hugged her tightly, kissing her nest of hair. “She is. Are you going to let her sleep in the guest room?”

“No way. Cousin Yeji sleeps with me. That’s the rule.”

It was a good thing my princess now had a queen after