“Yeah, sweet pea?”
“Did it hurt?” she asked quietly, her finger tracing the seam of his flannel shirt. “When you fell?”
“Dad,” Piper announced without looking away from the tower. “If this falls, it will be a tragedy of enormous proportion. That’s what Mom says about her hair on rainy days.” piper perri fall down dad
“Only mostly dead,” he replied, cracking one eye open. “There’s a cure, you know.”
“Nah,” David said, kissing the top of her head. “Falling is easy, sweet pea. It’s getting back up that’s the trick. But you don’t ever have to do it alone.” “Yeah, sweet pea
“Dad, you’re so silly,” she sniffled, wiping her nose with the back of her hand.
“Can we rebuild the tower? But this time… can we build it on the floor so it doesn’t have so far to fall?” That’s what Mom says about her hair on rainy days
Outside, the October sun dipped lower, casting long golden shadows through the window. The fallen leaves continued to gather on the lawn, but inside the Perri house, the only thing that mattered was the sound of a little girl giggling in her father’s arms, learning that the world is full of falls—and full of hands ready to help you back up.