Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Leighton
Lynton got here two days ago and so far she loves it. We spent the last two days with the families, exploring the campgrounds and the town. Today she’s going to the elementary school to talk to them about a job. I’m excited because if she decides to move here, then I won’t have to be without her. And she won’t be alone back in St. Cloud. Lately I’ve been having a bad feeling and I don’t know why. It’s not because of anyone here…but it’s definitely a weird feeling.
“If they have an opening for me here, we should make the move. What do you think?” Lynton asks me.
“I like it. I still don’t know what I would do here. Maybe I can go back to school and get my law degree.”
“I think that’s a great idea. If that’s what will make you happy, do it. I should be able to make enough to support us.”
I hug my sister tight.
“Best sister ever.”
“I love you.” She smiles. “I’m going to go to the school and see what they offer me. Wish me luck.”
“You don’t need luck. They’re gonna love you.”
She hugs me, then kisses Davis and heads out.
“So what should we do today?” I ask Davis, who giggles at me. “Well you’re not a lot of help.”
I laugh and pick him up. We look out the window, you can see the campgrounds from our house.“Maybe we should go for a hike. It’s going to get colder soon and then we won’t be able to.”
Davis smiles as he points to the mountain.
“Okay, let’s get dressed and go for a hike.” I kiss his nose and head to the bedroom to find clothes for us.
It’s a little chilly since fall is coming. The leaves have started to change colors and the sunsets are gorgeous. Soon, winter will be here. This is my favorite time of the year. Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. And then we start a new year. Some years it feels good to have a new start, but the holidays will be hard this year. Our first without Kayla. I make sure to show Davis her picture every morning and night. I never want him to forget her.
Just as we’re heading out, Valentino pulls up to our house.
“Morning beautiful,” he says as he leans down to give me a kiss.
“Morning,” I say as Davis reaches for him.
“Where are you two going?”
“We were going to the campgrounds. It feels like we won’t have too many more days that we can just walk around. Soon we’ll need winter gear to enjoy it out here.”
Valentino chuckles. “You’re not wrong. We’re supposed to get snow soon. Do you like snow?”
“I love snow. I love winter and all the holidays that come with it. This year’s just hard without Kayla.”
“I understand that. Maybe we can make some new memories together. I saw Lynton leaving as I was parking. Does she like it here?”
“She does. She’s on her way to the elementary school now to see if there are any openings. She says if there is then we should move here.”
“Give me one second,” he says as he gets on his phone.
It’s a quick phone call and he comes back over to us with a huge grin on his face.
“She’ll get a position. In fact, she’ll get to choose the grade she wants to teach”
I laugh. “Is that what you were calling for?”
“Hell yes. I want you to stay here. And if I can help that along? I sure as fuck will.”
Valentino looks at Davis.
“Oops. I guess I’m going to need to watch what I say around little man.” He laughs.
Davis giggles and hugs him. It’s weird how fast Davis has attached himself to Valentino. He usually doesn’t like strangers. But he took to Valentino from the start. Maybe that’s a sign that we should stay.
“Can I join you two for your outing?”
“Sure, I just need to grab Davis’ stroller. I can’t carry him the whole way.”
“Are you planning to stay on the pathways? Otherwise his stroller won’t do you any good. I can borrow the backpack that Luciana has for Grayson if you want.”
“I don’t think I could backpack him for very long.” I chuckle.
“I can. Stay here, I’ll be right back.”
Valentino
I run over to Luciana and Rónán’s house and ask to borrow a backpack. It’s a weird contraption, but we’ll be able to pack snacks and drinks for all of us.
“You should take Rónán’s pack, his is bigger. You’re almost the same size as him so it should be comfy,” Luciana says as she hands me one of the two backpacks.
“Thank you. So tell me your thoughts on Leighton.”
“I like her. She took over being a mom to her best friend’s baby. No hesitation. And she even came out here to find you, not knowing what to expect. From what Bella says, she was fully expecting to hate you. But I think she’s fallen for you. Just like you have for her.”
I squint my eyes at her.
“You know, I always thought that when you and Rónán found each other, you were both insane. The amount of time you actually spent together before you realized he was the one blew my mind. But I get it now. Leighton sparked something in me that I never knew was there. And she’s so strong. Not only did she lose her best friend, like you said, she became an instant mama. Did you know that it’s just her and Lynton? Their younger brother is stationed in Japan. And she hasn’t spoken to her parents in five years. She grew up in an abusive home, yet she’s loving and compassionate.”
Luciana is staring at me, then she reaches up and hugs me.
“I’m so glad you found your person,” she says softly. “Now go and spend all the time with her and show her what it’s like to be a Bastianini.”
I chuckle and hug her back.
“Thank you. And thank you for welcoming her and Davis, and now Lynton.”
“As long as she makes you happy? She’s family. Maybe this weekend Davis can stay with us and you two can have some alone time.”
“We’ll see. I’m not sure she’s ready to be that close to me.”
“Oh she’s ready.” Luciana snorts.
I laugh and head back to the house that Leighton is staying in.
“Honey! I’m home!” I call out.
I hear Leighton laughing from upstairs so I head up.
“You ready?” I ask as I hold up the backpack. “Luciana said we have enough room to bring snacks and drinks. And the pouch is made so that Davis can fall asleep in it. It has like a built-in pillow.”
“Wow, Davis is going hiking in luxury. I made some snacks for us to take,” she says as we get Davis into the backpack. I put it on and head downstairs, Davis is giggling every time I take a step. I love his little laugh. Who knew that being a daddy would be so much fun? I stand in the kitchen as Leighton loads up the backpack.
“Is that too heavy?” she asks.
“Nope. It doesn’t feel like you added anything.” I laugh.
“Ugh.” She laughs. “I wouldn’t be able to move.”
“Well this pack is Rónán’s, Luciana’s is smaller. They had them specially made, so I bet if you wanted to, you could use Luciana’s.”
“Maybe if it doesn’t get cold too soon. I feel like if I had to bundle up, I might fall over.” She chuckles.
She’s fucking adorable.
“Well, then I’ll do the Davis carrying when we go adventuring. Oh! Luciana offered to have Davis over this weekend. So I was thinking maybe we could go out to dinner? Maybe catch a movie?”
“That would be fun, but are you sure she offered?” she makes faces at me.
I laugh. “I promise, she offered. I mean, that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t ask, though.”
Leighton giggles at me. “You’re crazy. Okay I think I got everything. Let me just leave a note for Lyn and we can get going.”
I watch her scribble a note telling her sister where we are going. I love that family is important to her, I just wish she had better parents growing up. It makes me sad that she and her siblings were treated the way they were. We spend the rest of the day hiking and dipping our toes into the freezing cold lakes that are scattered around the campgrounds.
“So what do you think about Lake Renegade?” I ask her.
“I really like it here and I know it would be easier for you to be with Davis.”
“Let me stop you there. I don’t want only Davis, I want you too.”
Leighton looks up at me with her eyes wide.
“I’ve been telling you this from the start. I want you. Davis is the bonus for me, being his papa is the icing on the cake if I can be with you too. Don’t get me wrong. I’ll be Davis’ papa no matter what, but I need you too.”
“How can you even know you need me? You don’t know me at all.”
“Baby, in this family, we know when we meet our person. I’ve watched several of my family and people from the other families find theirs. The Athanasiou and Nikolaidis families call it being ‘fated.’ Which means there’s two people who were made for each other. And sometimes you’re lucky enough to find them. Sometimes you’re not. They believe that you live lifetimes and you’ll eventually find that person. And after you find them? It’s easier to find them in each consecutive life. You’re that person for me. Please don’t ask me how we know for sure. We just do.”
“So…what if one feels it and the other doesn’t?”
Could she really not feel what I do? There’s a smile on her face—she’s fucking with me. I grab her and kiss her, with Davis laughing behind me. This. This is what life is meant to be like.