Chapter 34
Trying to explain to Mom and Dad why Mia was still there when Ryan and Lily had left was…difficult. They seemed to understand that it was too complicated to convey, though, and they let it be.
If Mia hadn’t been there, I would’ve found it almost impossible to focus on anything other than what must be happening in that car right now, but Mia was not one to cede anyone’s attention to mundane matters like the future of her parents’ marriage.
As a result, dinner was more enjoyable and full of more laughter than I would have thought possible under the circumstances.
Whether it was Mia’s influence or their own determination to try on my behalf, my parents were more welcoming to James than I’d anticipated.
Dad asked him questions about his time in Canada until Mia inevitably railroaded the conversation back to where her interests lay: a general obsession with tomorrow’s Sleepy Holler event.
She was a gentle soul, still working up the courage to watch the Moana scene with Te Fiti without covering her eyes, so the prospect of a spooky night at the stables with a lurking headless horseman was an exciting but terrifying prospect for her.
An hour passed, and Ryan and Lily hadn’t come back.
Then two hours.
When we’d finished an incredibly leisurely second course of dessert, Dad met my gaze with a little lift of one brow.
All I could do was grimace, hoping that the length of Ryan and Lily’s talk was a good rather than a bad sign.
In the end, James and I had to leave so I could stop by the store before it closed to stock up on ingredients.
I had the day off at the bakery tomorrow so that I could bake for the Sleepy Holler event and help Archer prepare. I would be driving the wagon—both for the kids’ more mellow ride and the spookier ride for adults that would follow.
Mia had done her darnedest to extract a promise from James to be on the kids’ wagon ride.
Apparently, she felt that any man who could protect himself from tigers and bears could also take on a headless horseman.
James had handled it as well as Mia’s heavy-handed tactics would allow, assuring her he’d be sitting next to me at the front of the wagon to keep everyone safe.
Baking my three specialties had become a streamlined process at this point. I’d gotten the entire thing down to a science, and part of me was itching to try something new.
The other part was staring at my phone like it might start ringing with a call from Ryan.
That would’ve been a miracle even without all the drama of the last several weeks.
I picked up my phone and navigated to my text thread with him several times, only to put it right back down.
James jabbed me softly with his elbow. “Just send it.”
I glanced up at him; I hadn’t realized he’d noticed.
“I’ll bet he could use some love right now.”
I blew out a breath and picked my phone up again.
Sadie
Love you, Ryan
I pressed send before I could second-guess the decision, then set my phone face down.
James smiled at me, then tossed the rag he was holding onto the counter of the sugar shack. “You know who else could use some love right now?”
“Definitely me,” I said.
His smile grew.
“Was that what you were about to say?”
He grabbed my waist and lifted me onto the counter. “Close enough.”
Just a couple of days ago, Horseshoe Holler had been a beautiful oasis for Landrie and Jaxon’s wedding. Tonight, it was cozy and spooky, with hay bales scattered around firepits, glowing with orange flames to ward off the chill.
I stood at the entrance to the wagon while parents helped their kids up the steps for our first ride of the night. The Percherons were hooked up to the wagon, lanterns attached to light the way. They weren’t wild about those, but they’d come around.
My eyes scoured the scene for Ryan, Lily, and Mia, but there was no sign of them.
It had only been twenty-four hours since their talk, but sitting in suspense and ignorance had made it feel like days.
There were enough kids wanting wagon rides that almost a dozen waved us off as we ventured away from the stables and into the woods, a speaker playing mildly spooky music to add ambiance.
I couldn’t help the anticipation I felt when I pulled the wagon back into its starting place, but still, there was no sign of Mia.
Once the horses came to a stop, I took a quick glance at my phone. It was 6:35.
I shoved aside my disappointment and smiled as I helped people down the wagon stairs.
Lily kept Mia on a strict bedtime routine that began at 6:30 with a bath, quiet play time, and reading two books. If they weren’t here now, they weren’t coming.
“Would you mind helping the next group up?” I asked James. “I’m gonna take a quick bathroom break.”
“Of course.”
I hurried to the porta potties, wondering how sad Mia was at home or whether her parents had been able to soften the blow of missing Sleepy Holler with the promise of something like going to the movies.
Had they not come because Ryan was too angry? Because they didn’t want to see James and me? Were Lily and Ryan even talking at this point?
I wish they’d had my parents bring Mia. I hated that she had become collateral damage.
I jogged back to the wagon, trying to shake off my anxieties, only to stop short.
Ryan, Mia, and Lily were standing in line for the wagon ride, Mia dancing on her toes with excitement.
My throat thickened, and I let out a shaky breath of relief.
They’d come. Despite everything, they’d come. Together.
I hurried over just as James helped a woman and her daughter up into the wagon.
“Aunt Sadie!” Mia cried out when she saw me. “Look! I’m having a late night! And I’m in footie PJs and my shoes! At the same time!”
My laugh was a bit watery as she showcased the combination, bunches of fabric squeezing out of her sneakers. “Yes, you are! I’m so jealous.” My gaze flicked to Ryan, who was watching Mia.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hey.”
We looked at each other a bit longer, then I stepped over to him and wrapped him in my arms.
“Hug me back, punk,” I said through a teary laugh.
He chuckled softly, and his rigidity melted as he obeyed.
I pulled back, then leaned over to hug Lily, who was blinking furiously.
When I stepped away, James and Ryan were looking at each other.
“Hi,” Ryan said. The word was stiff. It wasn’t a punch in the face, though. That was progress I would happily take.
“Hey,” James replied.
It went quiet like neither of them could manage anything more.
“Come on, Daddy!” Mia said, halfway up the stairs and tugging him by the hand.
I smiled as Ryan followed her into the wagon, then turned to help Lily up.
James and I climbed onto the driver’s seat, and I found my hands were trembling.
“Can I drive the wagon with Aunt Sadie and Mr. James, Daddy? Oh, please, oh, please!”
I couldn’t help but turn to see how Ryan took this bold request.
His eyes darted to me, and I gave a nod.
“Just for a minute, okay?” he said.
Mia would’ve been happy with five seconds and was already crawling between James and me. She climbed onto my lap, and I had to hold the reins up too high for her to grab.
I took a few seconds to coach her through how to hold them—with my assistance—and soon, we were rumbling over the path, leaving the light of the fires behind.
Mia’s little body was full of energy, like a personified silent squeal.
I glanced back in time to see Ryan thread his fingers through Lily’s.
Their gazes met, more somber than usual, and I looked away, giving them their privacy.
I got the sense things were still raw. But the fact that they were here meant they’d done something they’d struggled to do for years before they’d gotten married: ride out the tough times together instead of apart.
James slipped his arm around my shoulders, then kissed my hair as Mia chattered about how silly it was to think that someone without a head could guide a horse.
Things weren’t perfect, but for the first time, we were heading in the right direction.