Page 27 of In Full Bloom
Shrieking echoes down the hall from the kitchen and my body goes on immediate alert. Then I realise it’s joyful shrieking and my daughter isn’t in peril. It’s such a visceral response I need to take a moment to calm myself again before I head down the hall.
It’s like that now. The slightest hint of fear in Sadie sends me into over-protective mode. I’m never not going to be worried about her. I don’t think it used to be this bad, but who’s really to know if it’s to do with the events of her life, or if the growing anxiety I have is normal in all parents. I don’t exactly have a lot of parent friends to ask.
I shake off that fear now, especially when Ireach the kitchen. I lean against the doorframe and take in the utter chaos before me.
Sadie is clinging to Katie’s back, as she piggybacks her around the room, alternating skips for bad dance moves. Both of them are giggling hysterically. They aren’t even half the chaos though.
The rest of it is Flynn, who’s piggybacking Olivia.
“Joust!” Flynn yells as he reaches the other side of the room to Katie and Sadie. The two with feet on the floor spin to face each other and paw at the ground like bulls about to charge.
“Giddy up,” Sadie squeals and Katie charges across the room at the same time Flynn launches in their direction.
Sadie and Olivia have their arms held out, like jousting poles and at the last moment, as Katie and Flynn slide past each other, they reach out and slap a high five. Olivia flinches like she’s been taken out and Flynn stumbles to a stop while Katie and Sadie celebrate their ‘victory’.
“Welcome to the mad house,” Violet says beside me, her voice indulgent as she watches the three adults behaving like bigger children than my daughter.
I laugh softly but continue watching as Katie swings Sadie down from her back and begins to twirl her around the room.
I should be watching Sadie and enjoying this moment of pure happiness for her. But my gaze keeps drawing back to Katie. She’s like a magnet.
Her hair is tied in it’s usual braid, but half of it has pulled loose around her face. She’s wearing jeans and a ratty old t-shirt, like she does pretty much every day on the farm. What I’mseeing isn’t anything out of the ordinary, and yet, I can’t help but feeling that something here is remarkable.
I can’t believe no one has noticed me standing here yet. Clearly they’re having way too much fun.
I try to remember the last time Sadie and I danced in the kitchen. When the memories don’t come, I realise it’s been way too long. Emotion hits me square in the chest. I should be doing better.
“Heya, cowboy,” Katie calls across the room, finally catching sight of me and snapping me out of my moment of melancholy before I have a chance to really wallow in it. “Come to join us?”
“Daddy!” Sadie shrieks when she spots me. She sprints across the room and leaps straight into my arms. Her confidence in my ability to catch her unwavering. I squeeze her to my chest. “Hey, Sadie girl,” I murmur into her hair.
She kisses me on the cheek. “Did you have a good day? Flynn said there’s a new horse. He brought it back with him.”
“That’s right. There is a new horse. Her name is Aurora,” I say and feel a flutter I most definitely shouldn’t when Katie shoots me a sly smile.
She’s started dancing around the kitchen with Olivia, while Flynn begs Violet to join them. Eventually Violet drops the potato she’s been peeling and lets Flynn lead her into the middle of the room where he begins to waltz.
“This is not the right music for waltzing,” Violet says through a laugh.
“Shh,” Flynn scolds. “You’ll mess up my counting.”
Sadie wriggles down and goes back to join Olivia while Katie leans on the wall beside me.
“I feel like I’ve missed something,” I say.
“What do you mean?” She’s looking up at me with those stunning grey eyes, confusion evident on her face.
I gesture at the room. “All this chaos. I feel like I missed the memo.”
“But … isn’t this normal?”
“Nooo,” I say, regretting it as soon as I see the confusion turn to concern. “I mean, maybe. But I haven’t witnessed it before.”
“It used to always be like this,” Katie whispers, her voice so low I’m not sure I’m supposed to hear it.
“I probably just miss it. They probably do it when I’m home with Sadie.”
“Yeah, maybe,” she says, but she doesn’t sound convinced.
