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Those words, coming from his mouth, erase all my doubts. I flash a smile as my heart beats faster. Our girl.
Max is waiting for us on the porch. I knock on the door and walk in.
“Hello?” I say loudly.
Giggles and screams come from the kitchen. Then a streak of caramel comes running straight for me. “Addie,” Lexi yells, jumping into my arms. I pull her up, taking in a deep breath through my nose.
God, I’ve missed her smell.
I hold her tight as she wraps her legs around me. “I missed you, Addie.”
“I missed you, too, sweet girl.” Aunt Amy comes in from the kitchen. She smiles brightly as affection glows in her eyes. She leans against the doorjamb, placing a hand over her heart. I tear up, watching her.
Lexi pulls back and then a million words spill from her mouth. I laugh because I caught maybe a third of them. She wiggles to get down and then runs to Max. He throws her up in the air. I immediately feel a little bad for Aiden. When I look at him he winks at me. He’s trying to reassure me that he’s okay.
“Max, did you fly on your plane?” Lexi asks excitedly.
“We did, Lulu.”
“You haven’t gone to Disneyland without me, have you?” She puckers her lips and stares him down. Her expressions are priceless.
“No. I would never go without you,” he says, touching her on her nose. She scrunches up her nose then gives him a hug and wiggles to get down.
Aiden’s her next stop. I take a silent breath of relief. He’s being so supportive of me taking in Lexi, I would hate it if Lexi didn’t like him. I shake my head. That’s ridiculous. Lexi loves Aiden, too.
“Aiden, guess what?” Her eyes go round and her little face beams.
“What?” he asks, squatting down to her level.
“I got my own horse. And he’s red. Guess what I named him?” she asks so excited. She got her own horse?
“Um … Mr. Ed?” he says, smiling.
She pulls her head back, looking at him like he’s got two of them. “No, silly.” She huffs adorably and rolls her eyes.
He laughs because she has no clue who Mr. Ed is. “What did you name him?”
“Ketchup.”
He twists his lips trying to figure out the meaning. “Why did you name your horse Ketchup?”
“Because, ketchup always goes with tater tots,” she says, throwing her arms out wide.
The smile on Aiden’s face is probably the biggest I’ve ever seen. My heart beats faster looking at them together. Together they make my heart whole.
“I want to show you him,” she says, pointing out the door.
“Amy?” Aiden looks toward my aunt. She nods her head. Lexi pulls him to the door, jumping up and down the whole way.
“Come on, Aiden. You’re too slow,” she whines. Once they’re out the door, I see him throw her on his shoulders and start running. Her giggles fill the air.
Max stays inside with me. Amy comes up and gives me a huge hug and then Max.
“It’s so good to see you,” she says, grabbing my hand. “Can I say that you’ve aged me far too fast?” she laughs, bringing our joined hands to her heart. “You’re going to give me a heart attack soon.”
“I’m sorry,” I say, looking away from her tears. “I really don’t mean to.”
“I know. And really, I should be used to it by now.” She jokes to lighten the mood. I laugh and give her another hug.
