18. Summer
18
SUMMER
T he museum’s towering entrance loomed ahead, its stone arches and glass doors gleaming in the sunlight. Ava practically vibrated with excitement beside me, bouncing on her toes as she clutched Bunny tightly.
“Are we going to see dinosaurs first?” she asked, her voice breathless.
“Whatever you want, sweetheart,” I said, smiling at her enthusiasm.
“Dinosaurs it is,” Enzo said, stepping up beside us. He had one hand casually tucked in his pocket, the other holding Ava’s museum ticket. “Ready, partner?”
“Ready!” Ava squealed, grabbing his free hand and pulling him toward the entrance.
I trailed behind them, my chest tightening as I watched the way Ava looked at him—with trust, with joy, with the kind of adoration that left no room for doubt.
Inside, Ava led the charge, dragging Enzo through the echoing halls toward the dinosaur exhibit. The enormous skeletons towered over us, their shadows stretching across the polished floors.
“Look!” Ava pointed up at a massive T. rex. “It’s so big!”
“Bigger than Bunny, huh?” Enzo said, crouching beside her.
“Way bigger,” she said, giggling.
As they read the plaques together, I hung back, my hands clasped tightly in front of me. Watching them was both heartwarming and excruciating. Enzo didn’t just tolerate Ava’s endless questions—he encouraged them, meeting her curiosity with patience and enthusiasm.
When we moved to the next exhibit, Ava stopped in front of a smaller skeleton—a velociraptor. She tilted her head, studying it carefully.
“This one looks fast,” she said.
“They were,” Enzo said, crouching down again. “Velociraptors were some of the fastest dinosaurs. Kind of like you when you’re running around the park.”
Ava grinned, looking up at him. “Do you like velociraptors, too?”
“They’re one of my favorites,” he said.
“Me too!” Ava said, her eyes lighting up. “See, Mommy? We’re the same!”
My chest tightened, but I forced a smile. “That’s great, sweetheart.”
Enzo glanced at me, his expression thoughtful.
As we moved through the museum, Ava’s observations became more pointed.
“You like puzzles, right, Enzo?” she asked as we passed an interactive display about fossil assembly.
“Love them,” he said with a grin.
“Me too!” she said proudly. “Mommy always says I’m just like you.”
Enzo’s brow lifted, and he glanced at me again. “Does she now?”
I laughed nervously, stepping forward to guide Ava to the next exhibit. “She’s just connecting the dots, that’s all.”
“Smart kid,” Enzo said, his tone light but his gaze lingering on me.
At the hands-on science center, Ava was in her element, bouncing between the exhibits with Enzo close behind. She stopped at a table filled with rocks and minerals, eagerly picking up a smooth purple stone.
“This one’s pretty,” she said, holding it up.
“It’s called amethyst,” Enzo said, sitting beside her. “It’s one of my favorites.”
“Mine too!” Ava said, grinning.
“Another thing we have in common,” Enzo said softly, his voice tinged with something I couldn’t quite place.
I hovered nearby, pretending to be engrossed in a display about tectonic plates, but my attention was firmly on them.
By the time we reached the café for lunch, my nerves were frayed. Ava had insisted on sitting next to Enzo, and the two of them were already deep in conversation when I sat down across from them.
“Do you like being a doctor?” Ava asked, her little hands wrapped around her juice box.
“I do,” Enzo said, nodding. “It’s hard work, but it’s worth it.”
“I want to be a doctor, too,” Ava said, her eyes shining. “Just like you.”
Enzo smiled, but his gaze flicked to me briefly. “That’s a big dream, Ava. You’d be great at it.”
“I know,” she said confidently.
I laughed softly, reaching for my coffee. “She’s nothing if not determined.”
“She gets that from you,” Enzo said, his voice steady.
The comment was innocent enough, but there was a weight behind it that made my chest tighten.
As we ate, Ava continued to chatter, her boundless energy making both of us laugh. But I could feel the shift in Enzo’s demeanor—subtle but unmistakable. He was quieter, his gaze lingering on Ava longer than usual, his smile fading at odd moments.
When Ava excused herself to look at the display near the café counter, Enzo leaned back in his chair, his eyes locking onto mine.
“She’s incredible,” he said softly.
“She is,” I agreed, my voice tight.
“She’s… a lot like me,” he said, his tone careful.
I froze, my heart pounding in my chest. “She’s her own person,” I said quickly.
“Of course,” he said, but his expression didn’t change.
The tension between us was almost unbearable, and I scrambled to change the subject. “She’s lucky to have so many people who care about her.”
“She is,” he said, his gaze steady. “But there’s more to this, isn’t there?”
“Enzo…” I began, my voice faltering.
He leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice. “You’re going to have to tell me the truth eventually, Summer.”
The words hung between us, heavy and unrelenting.
I opened my mouth to respond, but Ava ran back to the table, holding a small stuffed dinosaur she’d picked out from the gift shop display.
“Look what I got!” she said, holding it up proudly.
“It’s perfect,” Enzo said, his smile returning as he focused on her.
But as we left the museum, his earlier words echoed in my mind, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that time was running out.