Chapter 16 LEO #3
“Yeah.” She nodded. “I’ve kept them all.
Mom and Dad still go camping all the time.
As soon as the snow melts in the mountains, they disappear every weekend.
But the national park trips were always for the three of us.
I got so busy with school, and we haven’t gone to one lately. I don’t know if we’ll go again.”
“Someday.”
Cass gave me a sad smile. “I hope so. I hope I can take Seraphina to some of my favorites one day.”
“And maybe you’ll let me tag along.”
“If you want.”
“I want.” I relaxed deeper into the couch, trapping Cass’s feet when she tried to take them away. Whatever I could do to prolong the touch and the conversation. “So those books from the parks are why you went into history?”
“Yes and no. They were the foundation. When other girls were reading Harry Potter, I was reading about the Romanov family and the fall of imperial Russia. Then when I was twelve, one of my aunts gave me two books from World War II. I’ve read them more times than I can remember.
I fell in love with history and decided I never wanted to study anything else. Especially math.”
“I wasn’t into math either.” I chuckled. “Do you still want to write books?”
“I don’t know,” she whispered.
It felt like another life when I’d been in her room, staring at her vision board and listening to her babble nervously and tell me that she wanted to write books.
“I was thinking about it a while ago,” she said. “This transcription job has given me a new perspective. I could write from home in my spare time. But it would have to be”—her lip curled—“fiction.”
“The horror,” I teased.
She attempted a kick, but I held her tight, both of us smiling. “Before Seraphina was born, I finished transcribing this amazing book. It was historical fiction and made me wonder. What if? What if I tried it?”
“It’s worth a shot, babe.”
“You think?”
“Definitely. Try it. If you need to quit working, I’ve got you covered.”
“Speaking of . . . I’d like to pay rent.”
I scoffed. “Funny.”
“I’m serious.”
“This house is paid for, Cass. If you want to get groceries or whatever, great. But it’s not necessary.”
She blinked. “My parents’ house isn’t even paid for.”
“I put money in the bank for a long time. I don’t live on much. And I don’t like debt so I paid off my mortgage the year I bought it. It’s free and clear.”
“Wow. I’m impressed.”
“Don’t be. I’m not the impressive one in this room. I barely graduated high school, let alone college and grad school. Told you before, but I hope she gets your smarts.”
“And I hope she gets your art skills.” Cass cast a glance at one of my drawings on the wall. “Your talent is remarkable.”
I closed my eyes, resting my head on the back of the couch. “Tell me more about your camping trips.”
We talked for hours about Glacier, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Zion and Joshua Tree. I was so engrossed, I groaned when the doorbell rang.
“Eventually, you and Dad are going to have to come to a truce,” Cass said.
That wasn’t why I’d groaned, but now that she’d mentioned Dale, I swallowed another.
To say that he was pissed at her choice to move in here was an understatement. But he hadn’t threatened to kill me again, so I was taking it as temporary approval.
Cass was right. Eventually Dale and I would have to hash it out, but at the moment, we were all focused on Cass and Seraphina.
“Stay here. I’ll get the door.” I slid free of her legs and went to let her parents inside.
“Hello!” Claudia swept inside like she always did, with a smile and a picnic basket full of food. “Where are my girls?”
“Living room.” I took the basket from her, stepping aside as she kicked off her shoes.
Dale came in with a scowl, barely sparing me a glance as he took off his own shoes, then followed his wife inside.
Dinner was awkward but we all survived and seeing that Cass was exhausted, they didn’t stick around for long. The moment Claudia had all of the dishes washed, she kissed us, me included, and said goodnight as they left.
“She needs a diaper change.” Cass had Seraphina in her arms.
“I’ll do it.”
“Are you sure?” She yawned.
I kissed her hair as my answer and took our daughter to the nursery, where I struggled less and less with the diapers as the days progressed.
Her legs were so tiny, her toes like delicate flower petals. She whimpered at the cold until I had her snapped into her footie pajamas.
Then I sank into the rocking chair—my addition to the room, based on some eavesdropping of a conversation Presley’d had in the office one day about her list of nursery furniture. The sun was breaking on the horizon and the evening glow was fading through the curtained window.
“Just waking up for the day, aren’t you?”
Seraphina cracked open her eyes and kicked her legs, learning how they worked.
“What are the chances you’ll let us sleep tonight for more than two hours in a row?”
She kicked again.
“That’s a no,” Cass said from the doorway, walking into the nursery. “So . . . um, are you going to meet Emmett?”
“No. Why?”
“It’s a Saturday. He said he was going to The Betsy. I thought you might want to get out of here for a bit.”
I looked down at my daughter, then back at Cass. “Nah. I’m good here.”
She studied me for a long moment, tilting her head in that curious stare of hers. Then it vanished and she took one more step, closing the distance to take my face in her hands.
And kissing me, wet and sweet.