5. Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Hudson
I pull the behemoth box van into Finn’s driveway and park, killing the engine. I had to circle the block three times just to get the right angle to pull in. I yawn and rub my eyes with the heel of my hand. They feel like sandpaper after a string of restless nights the last two weeks. Scrubbing a hand down my face, I finish off the last swig of my now warm Mountain Dew and gather up my wallet and keys. I shoot Finn a message letting her know we’ve arrived and climb out of the cab, careful to not slam the door and wake Paige.
The door to Finn’s townhouse opens and she steps out dressed in tiny spandex shorts, an oversized pull-over sweatshirt, and fuzzy socks.
“Huddy!” she whisper-shouts, a huge grin on her face. “I’m so glad you guys are finally home!”
She skip-runs the short distance to me, and I can’t help the grin that splits my face despite how tired I am. I pull her in and lean forward, greedily inhaling her scent—grapefruit, ginger, and sandalwood. Her heavy braid brushes my forearm as I squeeze her with one arm and drop a kiss on the top of her head. The tension that’s been in my neck since we left three days ago melts away with her against me. I’ve missed her; the calm she brings to my life. It feels good to hug her, to be home. She feels like home.
“Me too.”
She pulls back to look up at me, and then glances at the truck, completely oblivious of her effect on me. “Paige been asleep long?”
“Yeah,” I say, reluctantly releasing her and moving around to the passenger side. “About an hour. Let’s hope she goes back to sleep once I get her inside.”
I open the door and carefully unclip the five-point harness on her booster seat and move her unicorn so I can pick her up. I lift her out carefully, and she stirs a little as I settle her against my chest. She’s getting so big, but I’m glad she is still small enough to carry. Finn pushes the door shut for me and we walk together to the house.
“Daddy?” Paige mumbles and lifts her head, eyes cracking open when we step into the light of Finn’s small entryway. Her eyes drift and she spots Finn, taking in a gasp and bolting upright in my arms. “Finnley!”
Finn reaches for her at the exact moment Paige launches out of my arms. “Hi, sweet girl.” Finn takes her weight from me, kissing her temple. “How did you sleep? Was your drive good?” The smile she gives my daughter makes my heart expand. She’s always been so good with Paige.
“Sooo long. But I am so excited to see you!” She throws her arms around Finn’s neck and snuggles in. “Can we make the pancakes now?” A week ago, Finn promised to make her mama’s famous huckleberry pancakes, and Paige hasn’t stopped talking about it since.
I chuckle. “It’s late, Pipsqueak. But in the morning, I promise you can have as many pancakes as your belly can hold.”
“Ok,” she says, surprisingly unfazed, and lets out a long yawn.
“Can you take her to use the bathroom?” I ask. “I’ll go grab our overnight bags from the truck. ”
“Sure.” She nods and looks at my sleepy daughter, brushing a strand of dark hair back from Paige’s forehead. “I even got you a new toothbrush and that pink bubblegum toothpaste you like. What do you say we brush your teeth, and then when your dad comes back, we can show you your new room?”
“Ok,” Paige says around another wide yawn.
I watch as she and Paige take the stairs to the second floor, and then go back outside to grab our bags and lock up the truck. While out there I also grab Paige’s unicorn and her insulin.
When I make it inside and back upstairs, I can hear Finn talking to Paige through the door when I pass by on the way to the room Finn made up for her.
The guest room is on the right. The bed I’ll be sleeping in is freshly made and there’s a little basket of snacks and bottled water on the nightstand. It makes me smile. Finn’s always been good at little details like that. I drop the duffle I’ve been living out of the last three days just inside the door and turn to Paige’s room.
Flipping on the light, I take in the space. The walls have been painted a faint pink. There’s a small chest of drawers, nightstand, and a white lamp with a frilly pink lampshade on top. I drop Paige’s bag on the floor and take in the custom bed my brother Hutch made for her.
The twin-size bed frame is made of some kind of pine, with a built-in wooden rail that goes almost all the way around it, like the railing of a wraparound porch. Suspended by two peaked trusses, the roof holds up an intricate canopy of intertwined fabric that Finn picked out to match the cream bedding that’s sprinkled with tiny pink daisies.
Little fairy lights twinkle from beneath the canopy and illuminate the wall behind the bed. Two thin ledge-type shelves are bracketed to the wall, and a half a dozen of Paige’s favorite books line the shelves .
Seeing all this laid out is just the confirmation I need to know that I’ve made the right choice coming back home.
The bathroom door opens in the hallway, and I meet Finn and Paige at the door. I crouch down and pull the door partway closed behind me as Paige steps into my arms.
“You ready to see your new room?” I ask, a grin splitting my face as I glance up at Finn, who’s wearing a matching one.
I mouth a Thank you to Finn. She nods, clasping her hands under her chin.
“Close your eyes,” I whisper, and Paige does. An excited, little wiggle shimmies her hips and she smiles.
I stand and move Paige into the doorway. Placing a hand on her shoulder, I say, “Ok, open.”
A gasp and then a shriek split the air before Paige barrels into the room, taking a flying leap for the bed. She giggles and rolls around in the cloud of fluffy bedding. Finally coming to rest on her back, she stares up at the underside of the canopy.
“It’s so beautiful!” she exclaims, sitting up and touching the fairy lights. “And, Daddy, look! There’s my favorite books!”
Finn and I cross into the room and we both chuckle.
“Uncle Hutch built the bed, and Aunt Wrenley and I did the rest. Do you like it?” Finn asks, stepping up to the bed next to me. I don’t miss the love for my little girl in Finn’s eyes.
“I love it!” she says and falls back to the pillows. “Aw, look! There’s even little hearts in the middle of the flowers,” she says, pulling the blankets up to her nose.
“There is. And you can control these twinkle lights with two claps,” Finn says and claps twice. The lights go off.
Paige claps twice and they come back on .
“How cool! Daddy, did you see that?” She claps twice again, and they go back off.
“I did. What do you say to Finnley?”
Paige bolts upright and launches herself at my best friend. “Thank you! Thank you!”
Finnley hugs her to her chest. “You’re welcome, sweet girl.”
Swiping her duffle off the floor, I turn back to the bed, unzipping it. “All right, Pipsqueak. Let’s get you into your pajamas and into bed.”
Paige folds her little hands under her chin and throws on her best, most adorable smile, with a hint of mischief in her eyes. “Can Finnley read a story with Sprinkles and me?”
I can’t say no. I rarely can when my little girl is involved. Just ask the giant, stuffed pig currently crammed in the back bedroom of my parents’ house that I won for her last summer at the Huckleberry Days Festival. It had to stay here because the damn thing wouldn’t fit on the plane. “Just one, ok? It’s getting late.”
“I can help her if you wanna go relax. Go get some food,” she says, taking Paige’s duffle bag from me.
“You sure?” I ask, raising a brow at my best friend. I’m exhausted, and I’d love a hot shower after all that driving. Not to mention, letting someone else take care of bedtime sounds fantastic.
“Absolutely,” she says, while puling open the bag and rooting around for pajamas.
“I could use a shower, if that’s ok?” I say, stretching.
“Of course. You don’t have to ask to shower, weirdo,” she says over her shoulder.
I run a hand through my hair. “Right.” I nod. “Ok, then. Night, Pipsqueak. I’ll see you in the morning. Love you.” I bend and press a kiss to her forehead, and she wraps her arms around my middle, giving me a short squeeze .
“Night, Daddy,” she says.
“Clean towels are in the linen closet,” Finn calls out, while helping Paige pull a Moana nightie over her head.
“Ok, thanks,” I say and head for the shower.