Chapter 27
TWENTY-SEVEN
“Mommy, look at it!”
Emilia danced in her seat as she looked down at the apple cider donut sundae, unsure where even to begin. The plate was the size of her head, with a giant, fresh cider donut on the bottom and two giant scoops of homemade vanilla ice cream on top, drizzled with caramel and an apple pie filling. It was probably more sugar than I should have allowed, but it was a once-in-a-season kind of treat, so I couldn’t bring myself to say no. It didn’t help that both Emilia and Adam gave me their best pouty faces when they asked if she could have it, Adam already agreeing to help her if she had trouble finishing it.
In truth, nothing could kill the happy glow inside me right now. I’d been excited to spend more time with Adam, but I was also nervous about having him around Emilia. He was a great guy, but it was still nerve-wracking bringing my worlds together. There was no question in my mind—Emilia trumped everyone else. If she didn’t like him or was uncomfortable around him, there would be no future for us. She was my whole heart, and I would never risk her happiness for my own.
Luckily, that was far from the case. I couldn’t believe it when we got into the car, finding it ready for Emilia. He’d even picked up a booster seat, the same one Cole had got for his truck.
It only got better when we got to the orchard just after lunchtime. The early fall weather was perfect—just cool enough for long sleeves, but the sun provided a little extra warmth. We’d wandered the rows of trees for hours, filling up our bags as we went. Adam never complained, not even after Emilia climbed onto his shoulders for the fifth time. They got along like two peas in a pod, chatting away excitedly all afternoon. But nothing could top when we finished picking apples and Adam took Emilia over to the petting zoo.
“Are you sure about this?” I asked him, peering down at the different animals. “I can take her through if you want a break.”
“No way,” he chuckled, squeezing Emilia’s hand. “I’ve been looking forward to this all day. Go rest for a couple of minutes.” He leaned in toward my ear, lowering his voice so only I could hear him. “You’re going to need it later.”
I chewed on my lower lip as they walked away, letting my smile fully bloom. Watching them together, feeding the different goats, soothed something inside of me. Don’t get me wrong, Cam was a devoted dad. He spent every free minute with Emilia. They had the kind of relationship I could have only hoped for them to have. But the day-to-day stuff? That was almost always on my shoulders. It was a lot of pressure trying to keep my daughter alive, happy, and entertained all the time, and my heart broke every time I thought I was failing her. Having Adam lighten my load for a few minutes meant a lot to me, and I took the opportunity to breathe fully.
“Mommy!” Emilia called out with a wide smile on her face. “Look! He’s tickling my hand.”
I moved over to the fence, chuckling as I watched the different goats come up to Emilia. Her palms were filled with pellets as Adam held a full cup, clearly suckered into paying the overpriced fee for the animal feed. As the goats followed her around, Emilia let out a loud chuckle and climbed into Adam’s lap. “Save me,” she laughed, “They’re trying to gobble me up!”
Adam lifted her up, tossing the rest of the food deeper into the pen. “I got you, kiddo. Just hold on tight.”
His eyes met mine, and he winked, making my insides turn to mush. All I could do was mouth, “Thank you”, but the simple sentiment would never be enough to convey how much I would treasure this moment forever.
My heart filled as I watched them move on to the other animals, snapping pictures on my phone as they went. Emilia giggled the entire time, loving how Adam made up voices for each of the animals.
At the end of their allotted time, when they had to say goodbye to the animals, Emilia wrapped her little arms around Adam. When she asked him to carry her and he eagerly obliged, my heart stalled in my chest. He carried her to each animal one last time, letting her whisper soft goodbyes into their fur and feathers. As she snuggled against his chest, he looked over and grinned at me, and I swear, I almost melted on the spot.
I’d seen many sides of Adam: the sexy, the confident, and the downright swoon-worthy. But this version? The one where he cradled my daughter as if she was his own? He was everything .
“So, which animal did you like the most?” Adam asked, pulling me back into the present. Emilia’s spoon paused in the air, bits of ice cream sliding onto the table as she pondered his question.
“Definitely the bunny,” she said. “I wanted one, but my mommy said they need room to run around.”
“Is that your favorite animal?” he asked.
“Nope,” she mumbled as she shoved her whole spoon into her mouth. “I like ponies. ‘Specially the ones that let you braid their hair.” She peeked up at him. “What about you?”
“I think dogs are it for me,” he said. “I’ve always wanted one, but with my schedule, I never wanted to leave it alone for too long.”
“Maybe you can get it now,” Emilia offered. “We can help you! I’d do such a good job walking it and loving it! Right, Mommy?”
“We’ll see,” I chuckled, pressing a kiss to her brow. “But that’s really up for Adam to decide. Dogs are a big commitment.”
The conversation died out as Emilia turned all her attention to her dessert, taking bites bigger than what should have been physically possible. I leaned back in my seat, sighing as I took in the rolling hills surrounding us. The colors of the fall were just starting to break out over the mountains, the leaves shifting to shades of red, orange, and yellow. It was beautiful, and I couldn’t wait to see all the leaves change back in town. I’d taken Emilia down by the lake a couple of times, but they weren’t quite there yet, still hanging on to their summer greens a little bit longer. Not that I could blame them.
“So, trouble,” Adam asked. “Put any more thought into that list of yours? ”
Emilia looked up at me, her cheeks stuffed with ice cream and toppings. “What list?”
“Take human-sized bites, baby,” I said, wiping the excess from around her mouth. “And it’s just something Mommy’s been thinking about. Some things I want to do before I get too old.”
She giggled, but Adam stared at me like he could read my thoughts. He could see I was hiding behind my answer, not wanting my daughter to know there were so many things that scared me. I shifted under the weight of his stare. “I haven’t thought about it much.”
He shook his head, pointing his spoon in my direction. “Then now is as good a time as any. C’mon, Tor, think of one thing you want to do. It can be something small to start. Maybe something we can all do before you go back home.”
My stomach churned at his words. When we go back home . Even though we’d only been here for a week, it was already feeling more like home than Texas had in a long time. Maybe it was having our own space or because people were taking so much time to include us, but I was starting to feel like I might belong here. That Emilia and I might belong here.
That was ridiculous. My home was in Texas. Cam was in Texas. It wasn’t even worth a second thought. Focus on the now , I reminded myself. Enjoy your time while you’re here . Smiling back at Adam, I tried to shove all my negative thoughts back into their box. “I guess if I could do anything, I’d want to travel more. But with us already being here, I can check that off the list.”
“Nuh-uh,” Adam answered. “That’s a cop-out and you know it. I want something specific, Campbell, and make it a good one.”
I rolled my eyes and slid my hand over my face. “If I had to think of anything off the top of my head, I guess…” I sighed, looking up at the sky. “All of this talk about horses makes me miss riding. I’ve always wanted to have one of my own, but they’re a lot of work. Maybe I could look into riding while I’m here.”
Adam smiled. “Atta, girl. Was that so hard?”
Yes, it was. It was hard to voice my random dreams out loud, taking something so abstract and making it more concrete. If you never put your dreams into words, then you won’t be disappointed if they never come true.
“I think you should do it, Mommy,” Emilia said, pushing the half-eaten plate toward Adam.
“Maybe, baby. We’ll have to see.”
“What else?” Adam asked, diving into Emilia’s leftovers.
“I’m not sure.”
He paused, watching me. “I’m giving you until the end of the week to come up with two more things. No excuses, trouble.”
I let out a bark of laughter. “Are you giving me homework, Rice?”
“Yup,” he answered with a sly smirk. “Gotta make sure you’re keeping up with this list. Don’t want you slacking on me.”
I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t help my smile. The fact that Adam wanted me to achieve my dreams meant a lot. For so long, I’d had these daydreams, thoughts about what I would do if I ever got free time again, but I always convinced myself that other things were more important. Something about telling Adam my dreams made them come to life, like he’d stop at nothing to make sure they came true.
Emilia hopped off the picnic table, rushing over to Adam’s side. “Can I add something to Mommy’s list? ”
He nodded, “I think that’s a great idea.” She smiled, tugging the arm of his sweater until she was able to whisper in his ear. When she finished, Adam was beaming at me. “That is a great addition. You know, you’re pretty awesome, kid.”
She shrugged her shoulders, proudly smiling at me. “I know.”
“Don’t I get to know what you’re adding to my list?”
“Nope,” Emilia said.
I glanced at Adam, hoping for some backup, but he just smirked at me. “Trust me, trouble. It’ll be worth the wait.”