CHAPTER 18
Elena
Ever since I told her she’d be coming with me to my office event, Haille had been excited all morning. Even before I finished getting ready, she was already pacing around the bedroom, asking the same thing over and over again.
I had already picked out something comfortable for her to wear—a cotton T-shirt and shorts so she could run around freely. But the moment I held them up, she shook her head hard.
“Noo,” she said firmly.
She ran to her little closet, pulled out her Frozen costume—the one Avery gave her for her second birthday—and held it up proudly. A light blue dress with tiny glittery details that always made her feel like a princess.
“This,” she said, lifting it high. “Haille wear this.”
I tried to reason with her gently. “Sweetheart, it’s going to be hot. We’ll be outside.”
She shook her head again, curls bouncing. “Haille Elsa.”
And of course, she paired the dress with her favorite pink light-up shoes—the ones that blinked every time she took a step. I gave up. As long as she was happy, that was enough for me.
I dressed simply myself. The theme for today’s company picnic was blue, so I wore a sky-blue top and brown pants. My hair was tied back in a ponytail. Nothing excessive, nothing careless.
The company picnic was held at a park not too far from the office. The moment we arrived, Haille froze in her tracks. Her eyes widened, her mouth fell open slightly, and she pointed straight ahead.
“MOMMYYYY!”
“Thaaat!”
In front of us stood a huge inflatable slide in bright colors.
“Up?” she asked, her voice nearly squealing. “Haille go now?”
She tugged at my hand, almost bouncing in place.
“Nowww!”
“Now, Mommy!”
I laughed softly, my chest warming at how happy she looked. A small pang of guilt followed because I knew she wasn’t old enough to go on it yet. But I couldn’t bring myself to say that right now. Not when her face looked like that.
“Later, okay?” I said gently. “We’ll look around first.”
She pouted for half a second, then turned back to stare at the slide with shining eyes, like it might disappear if she blinked.
“No go,” she murmured softly. Mostly to herself.
I squeezed her hand and walked into the event area. A few steps in, I saw several coworkers from the finance waving at me.
“Elena!”
I waved back and looked down at Haille. “Let’s say hi to Mommy’s friends first, okay?”
She immediately pulled my hand toward the slide again. “Slidee,” she said, her voice starting to whine. “Now.”
“Just a second,” I replied softly. “Mommy needs to put our things down first. Then we go.”
Her face scrunched up. She stopped walking, lips pushing forward. “No long, mommy…” she muttered, clearly sulking.
“I promise,” I said, crouching so we were eye level. “Just a little bit.”
She huffed, then nodded half-heartedly, her fingers tightening around mine like she was afraid I’d stall too long.
I walked over to my coworkers. They immediately gathered around Haille, some crouching to greet her, others complimenting her dress.
“Hi, princess,” one of them laughed.
“Hiii,” Haille replied softly, her eyes already drifting back to the slide.
After a brief round of small talk, I chose a spot on the grass with other coworkers who had brought their kids too. Strollers, diaper bags, picnic mats, and water bottles were scattered neatly around.
I set my bag down, and before I could even sit comfortably, Haille tugged on my arm again.
“Mommy... now?” she asked hopefully.
I laughed. “Okay, okay.”
She cheered quietly. “Yaaay!”
Then she dragged me forward, her little steps quick and excited, her light-up shoes blinking with every step.
When she realized I was guiding her past the inflatable slide and toward the smaller playground instead, she stopped short and protested immediately.
“Nooo, mommy…” she whined, tugging at my hand.
I crouched beside her, pointing toward the shorter slide nearby—the one clearly meant for kids her age. “That one first, okay? Look, you can climb it all by yourself.”
She hesitated, eyes flicking between the big inflatable and the smaller slide. Then I added softly, “And afterward, we’ll get snacks.”
That did it.
Her pout softened, and she nodded reluctantly, letting me lead her again, already distracted by the colorful steps and the other kids playing nearby.
After a while—long enough for her energy to burn off a little—I heard someone call my name.
“Elena!”
I turned to see Jessica approaching, holding the hand of a small brown-haired boy with chubby cheeks.
“Want to do face painting?” she asked brightly. “Leo really wants to.”
Her son nodded enthusiastically. “I wanna be dinosauuur!”
I turned to Haille, “Haille, do you want to do face painting with Leo?”
Haille stopped and looked at Leo, then turned to me. “Yess,” she said immediately.
Jessica laughed. “See? Let’s go.”
The kids grabbed each other’s hands and walked ahead like old friends, even though they’d just met. Jessica and I followed behind, laughing at the sight.
“They’re so cute,” she said. “Should we be worried?”
I laughed softly. “You’re thinking way too far ahead.”
Jessica grinned. “I’m just saying… I see potential.”
I just shook my head and smiled, letting the moment pass as I enjoyed the kids’ laughter and a day that felt light.
After face painting, all our stomachs started protesting. The smell of food from the catering area grew stronger, mixing with laughter and soft music.
I sat on a mat near Jessica’s family. Leo sat cross-legged beside Haille, his face now painted green with crooked dinosaur teeth. Haille had chosen a blue butterfly—wings stretching across her cheeks, glitter still shimmering under the sun.
Jessica sat beside me, feeding Leo. Across from her, her husband sat with their eldest daughter, holding a drink in one hand and absentmindedly ruffling Leo’s hair with the other.
“Here, try this one,” Jessica said gently.
Leo nodded obediently.
I watched them without realizing it. The way Jessica smiled when her husband joked. The ease between them. There was no tension, no guarded glances, and no hesitation. I knew their story, and yet here they were. Sitting together, laughing, and parenting side by side.
My thoughts drifted to Adrian. I imagined him standing at the edge of the park, sleeves rolled up, holding Haille with a proud smile as he admired the butterfly painted on her cheeks, laughing as he took pictures, making some comment about how cute she looked today.
But at the same time, I felt uneasy, as if his presence would make my chest tighten again.
Haille tugged on my shirt. “Mommy... drink,” she said, her face smudged with sauce.
I smiled and focused back on her, opening her water bottle.
“Slowly, honey,” I said.
I looked at her small face—her cheeks, her bright eyes, her easy laugh—and told myself that today wasn’t about Adrian, or my wounds, or the endless what-ifs that didn’t deserve space right now.
After we finished eating, the park grew louder. The music turned up slightly, and people started gathering at the large grassy field.
“Hey! It’s starting!” Jessica stood halfway up. “Tug of war!”
I turned to look. Several staff members stood in the middle holding a thick rope, with each department lining up on opposite sides.
I immediately spotted the finance team. A group of guys stood shoulder to shoulder, sleeves rolled up, faces focused. Harley stood out easily, taller than the rest, shirt slightly wrinkled, expression relaxed but sharp.
“Finance! Finance!” Jessica started cheering.
I laughed and stood too, lifting Haille onto my hip. “Go, Finance!”
Haille joined in, fists clenched. “Go!”
The whistle blew.
The rope tightened. Shouts filled the air. People cheered and laughed. I saw Harley lean back, jaw tight, arms tense as he pulled with the team.
“PULL! PULL!” Jessica yelled, jumping beside me.
I laughed, feeling lighter than I had in a long time.
Our finance team won.
Cheers erupted. People clapped. Some threw their hands in the air. Harley and the others laughed, one of them nearly collapsing onto the grass.
“Yes!” Jessica shouted.
But right then, Haille started getting fussy. At first, it was just a small whimper. Then she shifted restlessly, her head dropping onto my shoulder before lifting again, eyes glassy.
“Tired?” I asked softly.
She nodded, lips trembling. “Sleepy...”
I let out a quiet breath. I was tired too—my shoulders aching, my legs heavy—but before I could linger on it, someone was already calling out to the finance team.
“Photo time!”
I shifted to the side, adjusting Haille in my arms, trying to calm her. She only fussed more, burying her face into my neck.
“Elena,” Jessica said gently. “Come take the photo.”
I hesitated. Honestly, I was exhausted.
And as if reading that, Harley walked over.
“Elena,” he said calmly. “I can hold her for a bit.”
I shook my head instinctively. “It’s okay. She’s fussy.”
“Exactly,” he replied lightly. “Sometimes kids calm down faster with someone else.”
Jessica nudged my arm lightly. “You’ve earned five minutes of not being a superhero, okay? You look exhausted.”
She grinned. “Just give Haille to Harley. See? Their names even rhyme—Harley, Haille.”
I huffed. “You’re impossible.”
Harley chuckled. “That’s exactly what I was thinking.”
Then I shifted my gaze to Haille in my arms. “Haille, do you want Harley to carry you?”
Haille didn’t say anything, but she turned her eyes toward Harley.
Harley smiled at her. “C’mon, Haille.”
She looked at him, eyes half-closed. Her small hand reached out.
“Hawley...” she murmured.
I paused, then nodded. “Okay,” I said quietly. “Just for a bit.”
When Harley reached for Haille, he paused, wiping his dusty hands against his jeans first.
I shifted my grip, and he took her from me carefully, one arm supporting her back while the other steadied her legs.
“Hey, princess,” he said softly. “Tired, huh?”
Haille rested her head against his chest almost immediately. Something twisted softly in my chest as I watched.
We lined up for the photo, me to one side, Jessica to the other, Harley in the middle holding Haille. Voices overlapped, people laughed, someone shouted for us to move in closer.
Click.
Before the second photo, Haille’s breathing slowed.
“Asleep?” Jessica whispered.
Harley glanced down and smiled. “Yeah. She’s asleep.”
I looked at my daughter, eyes closed now, cheek resting against Harley’s shirt, her breathing calm and steady.
“Sorry,” I whispered.
Harley shook his head. “All good.”
The photo session ended. People slowly drifted away.
I stepped closer. “Thank you. Really.”
He met my eyes briefly and nodded. “Anytime.”
After the photos, people started heading their own ways. Some returned to the food tents, others wandered back to the games, and some began leaving.
I turned to Jessica. “Jess, I’m heading out. Haille’s asleep.”
“Okay, drive safe,” Jessica said. “I’m still going to hang around. Lucy and Leo want to keep playing.”
Haille was still sleeping in Harley’s arms, her head resting against his chest, one small hand gripping his shirt unconsciously, like she was afraid of losing something even in her sleep.
I reached for my daughter. “Harley, give her to me. I need to grab my things too.”
He shook his head immediately. “No need. I’ll walk you to the car,” he said lightly. “She’s sleeping so well.”
“It’s okay, Harley,” I said quickly.
“I’ve got her,” he said, unmoved. “Let her sleep.”
I looked down at Haille’s face. She was sleeping peacefully. Lips slightly parted, breathing even, completely undisturbed by the noise around us.
I exhaled softly.
“...Okay,” I said finally.
We walked back toward the mats where I had left my things. As I bent down to grab my bag, one of our friends glanced between us and grinned.
“If I didn’t know better,” he said casually, “I’d think you two were a couple.”
I shot him a look. “Not funny.”
He raised his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. I’m joking.”
Harley only laughed under his breath.
After packing up, we walked side by side toward the parking lot. Our steps slow, matched to the steady rhythm of a sleeping child in his arms.
The silence between us wasn’t awkward. Somehow, it felt calm. Maybe too calm. Harley didn’t say anything. He simply gave me the space I hadn’t realized I needed. For now, all I wanted was to get to the car, buckle my daughter into her seat, and go home.
The rest could wait.