Page 87

“I’m training you today.” I jerk my head toward my brother and Scarlett. “These two will be watching Clara while we’re out.”

“We’re going to the lake,” Scarlett tells Clara.

Clara claps her little hands excitedly. “Lake!”

“And after dinner,” Scarlett continues, “I thought we could have snuggles and watch Frozen.”

Leo groans. “Not that movie again.” Scarlett gives him an unimpressed look. “We’ve only watched it twenty times.”

“Exactly. Which is why I’m surprised you don’t know the words to every song yet,” Scarlett responds. Laughter fills the kitchen, and she looks down at Clara. “How about you say bye to your daddy and Charlotte, and then we can get going?”

Clara looks at me, making grabby hands. “Dada!”

I take her from Scarlett and pull her against my chest. “Have so much fun, little one.” I kiss her all over her face, making her squeal.

She eyes Charlotte, opening her tiny hands wide. “Char, Char!”

The smile that spreads across Charlotte’s face nearly knocks the air from my lungs. She slips her arms around Clara like it’s the most natural thing in the world, hugging her snug against her chest. “I’ll see you later, sweet girl.” Clara’s arms wrap around her neck, and she squeezes hard. Charlotte closes her eyes briefly, holding her a second longer before handing her over to Scarlett. They all wave as they walk out, leaving silence behind them. When I turn around, I find Charlotte’s back to me, washing dishes that I’m pretty sure were already clean. I take a few steps toward her, and then I hear it.

A sniffle.

“Hey.” Sliding a finger beneath her chin, I gently turn her toward me, finding her eyes filled with tears. The sight tightens my chest painfully. “What’s wrong?”

She shakes her head and waves a dismissive hand. “It’s nothing.” Her gaze drops to the sink. “I think I’m just so used to spending so much time with her that it’s weird when she’s not here.” Her fingers tighten around the sponge as she laughs softly. “I’m being ridiculous. I know she’s perfectly safe with those two, but I can’t help but…”

“Worry,” I voice for her, grinning.

“Yeah.” A small smile tugs at her lips. She wipes her hands and sets the towel down, turning to lean against the counter.

I step closer, wrapping my arms around her. The moment I do, she melts against me with no hesitation, as though this is where she was always meant to be.

“Will the worrying ever stop?” she asks softly.

A quiet laugh leaves me. “Unfortunately, no.” My palm glides down her spine. “Funnily enough, it only gets worse.”

She tips her head back to look at me, a thought on her tongue she refuses to let free. One she’s too afraid to voice.

“What is it?”

A single tear escapes, and she quickly wipes it away. “When the time comes…” Her voice falters. “I don’t know how I’m going to bear being so far away from her. From…” She hesitates, the word catching as though it hurts to say, before whispering, “You.”

Her words strike me through my beating heart, the world stilling around us.

And for one second, I want to be selfish.

I want to say, Stay. Don’t Leave.

But I can’t.

Because I made her a promise.

And I plan on being a man of my word.

I swallow hard and force myself to drop my hold around her. “You can visit us anytime you’d like.” The words sound wrong, not at all what I truly want to say. But I step back before I change my mind and say something reckless that might scare her away. Glancing at my watch, I say, “We should get going.”

For a moment, disappointment flickers across her face, and it hurts to know that I’m the reason it’s there.

But she tries to hide it with a slight curve of her lips. “Okay.”