37. Dallas
37
DALLAS
I bring the motorbike around and meet Katie where she left the ute on a barely used gravel road that borders the bush block. She helps me lift the bike onto the back tray, then I find her a fleece pullover in the back seat that she slips over her ruined outfit.
The skirt may never recover from its adventure and the time Katie spent sitting on the ground in it, but I’m hoping the shirt will be fine and I get to enjoy it for a while longer.
Katie climbs into the passenger seat and while I get the engine started and heater blowing, she texts Olivia and Flynn, letting them know she’s okay.
“Where do you want to go?” I ask as she drops her phone back into her lap.
“The cottage,” she replies without hesitation. “Please.”
I nod and make the turn to head towards the Wildflower Ridge driveway.
She’s quiet the rest of the drive, but she reaches out and twines our fingers together, resting them between our seats.
We turn into the driveway and for some reason, it feels different this time with Katie beside me, even though we’ve gone in and out this gateway multiple times while working together. Instead of following the road towards the main house and parking in my usual spot, I turn off and head for the cottage.
We climb out of the vehicle and I look at Flynn’s bike in the back tray. I should get it back to him.
“Flynn said not to worry about the bike,” Katie says behind me. “Said he’ll just use yours until you return his baby to him.”
I laugh and usher her into the house. The moment the door is closed I pull her to me. I wanted to outside, but Sadie will be at the main house by now and I can’t run the risk of her catching us out.
“Do you want a shower?”
“Please.”
“Or a bath?”
“Oh, that sounds good.”
I peel myself off her and head for the bathroom, turning on the hot water and dumping a load of bubblebath under the stream. I dig a fresh towel out of the cupboard and set it on the counter.
“Are you joining me?” she asks, that coy little smirk playing on her mouth again.
“Not this time,” I say and she pouts. “I thought I’d go, uh, have a chat with Sadie.”
Katie’s eyes go wide. “Oh.”
“If you’re okay with that? ”
She nods. “I’d love that. Are you okay with that?”
“God, yes. Do you know how many times I’ve almost blown it by kissing you in front of her already?”
Katie laughs. “Alright, cowboy. I’ll have my bath alone. You go take care of your girl.”
I reach out and brush a lock of hair back from her face. “Our girl.”
“Our girl,” she echoes, a small smile tugging at her lips. “I hope it goes okay. I’ll be here when you get back … Or I can be gone too if you need.” She runs a hand across my cheek. “If you and Sadie need some space.”
“Thank you.” I cover her mouth with mine for the softest of kisses, then leave her to her giant bubble bath and go to find my daughter.
Olivia meets me on the front porch of the main house, with Flynn barely two steps behind her.
“She’s fine,” I say before they can even ask. “I promise. She’s good. She’s at the cottage right now.”
“Then why the hell are you here?” Flynn asks.
“Because I thought now was a good time to have a chat with Sadie about some things.”
Flynn’s eyes go wide. “Oh. Shit. Yeah, I suppose there are some things to cover.”
I laugh, but it doesn’t sound amused. “Just a few minor details. Nothing life changing at all.”
Olivia rubs my arm in a comforting gesture. “You guys will figure it out. Should we go see Katie?”
“She’s in the bath right now, so probably not. But she really is okay. ”
“I’m so glad she has you,” Olivia says and I swear her eyes are getting a little misty before she turns away and calls for Sadie.
“We’ll leave you to it,” Flynn says, giving me a pat on the back as he heads back into the house, followed by Olivia. A moment later Sadie skids down the hall, sliding in her socks.
“I thought you were busy tonight?” she asks as she comes to a stop in front of me.
“I sort of am. But I need to go check on Aurora and thought you might want to come with me.”
“Of course. Is Aurora okay?” She jams her feet into her boots and skips down the steps, pausing to wait for me as she asks her question.
“I’m sure she is.”
As we walk down the driveway to the barn, Sadie slips her hand into mine. I’m trying to figure out how to start the conversation in which I have to tell my child I’m in love with someone and that her mother is also back on the scene—but also that they’re two different women.
“Is Katie okay?”
“Yes,” I say slowly, drawing out the word. “Why do you ask?”
“I heard Flynn and Olivia talking about her. They said she got in a fight with someone.” Her eyes suddenly go round and her expression shifts. “I didn’t listen on purpose,” she says. “It was an accident. But also, she normally checks on the horses.”
“I know but I wanted to do it for her. She did have a fight with someone. He said some pretty mean things, but Katie is absolutely fine.”
“That’s good. Did he apologise to her?”
“Not yet. But that doesn’t matter right now. I wanted to talk to you about Katie actually.” I draw in a deep breath. “We’ve been spending a lot of time together.”
Sadie kicks at a loose piece of gravel. “I know. You spend all day together on the farm.”
“I’ve also been seeing her outside of working. I guess … she’s my girlfriend.”
“Oh.” Sadie stops walking and stares up at me as understanding settles on her face. “Are you going to get married?”
“Ah, I’m not actually sure,” I say, rubbing at the back of my neck. “It’s still pretty new, but we wanted you to know.”
“Okay.” She looks a little puzzled, but continues walking towards the paddock Aurora is in.
“You like Katie, don’t you?”
“Yeah.”
“You don’t sound convinced.” I bend down and scoop her up into my arms, propping her on my hip. “It’s okay, Sadie. It’s going to take all of us some time to get used to.”
“But why aren’t you marrying her? Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do? Cinderella only met the prince for one-night and wanted to marry him. Why don’t you want to marry Katie? She’s amazing .”
Understanding dawns. Freaking fairytales. I ruffle Sadie’s hair and set her down on the fence railings so we’re at even height.
“She is amazing. And maybe one day we’ll get married. But real life isn’t like Cinderella , or any of those other fairy tales. It takes time. But we love each other, and we both love you. ”
Sadie wraps her arms around my neck, squeezing me so tight I can hardly draw breath. “I love you both too.” She lets me go as another idea fires through her brain. “Did you give her my picture? Is that why she loves you?”
I chuckle. “I think your picture helped, Lady Sadie.”
I don’t tell her that both Katie and I left the bag containing the picture on the floor in the back of the farm supply store. I have no idea if we’ll ever see it again.
“I want you to know,” I say, smoothing Sadie’s hair back from her face. “You’re number one, okay? If you’re ever worried about something, you can come and talk to me. I love you so much.”
She leans in for another breath stealing hug. “I love you too, Daddy. Can we go tell Katie I love her too?”
I laugh. “Alright, alright. You can tell her, but then are you okay going back to stay at Violet’s tonight?”
“Yep, I’ve got to finish beating Flynn at Go Fish.” She jumps to the ground and takes my hand again. “Is Katie living with us now?”
“She’s not living with us yet, but is it okay if she stays over sometimes?”
“Yeah. But if she lived here then she wouldn’t have to drive to work every day. She could have my room. I don’t mind sharing.”
Warmth floods me. This whole conversation has been wild, but in the best way. “If Katie stays over, she’ll be staying in my room, sweetie.”
Sadie scrunches up her nose. “But I love her too, so don’t we get to share her? Plus you snore. ”
I laugh until tears fill my eyes. “We’ll figure it out.”
“Come on,” Sadie tugs on my hand. “I have to tell Katie and go beat Flynn. I’ll bet he’s looked at all my cards by now.”
“I’ll race ya,” I say, dropping her hand and speeding up. A moment later, Sadie racing past me, cackling maniacally.
“I’m going to beat you,” she screeches.
Of course she is. I always let her.