Page 167 of Hold Me Until Morning

“I get to see horses, and I got so many brand-new friends, and they’re so very nice, Mommy, and this is for sure the biggest blast that I ever had, just like my Mr. Cody said I was going to have.”

Affection pounded, and I stood there feeling overwhelmed.

Overflowing with the magnitude of my little girl’s joy.

“I’m so happy you’ve already met new friends,” Paisley said to my daughter. “I knew you, Evelyn, and Olivia were going to hit it off.”

“We hit it off a lot.” Maddie gave her a big nod.

Paisley let go of a soft laugh as she stuck out her hand. “I’m Paisley, one of your mom’s old friends, and I’m Evelyn’s mommy.”

Madison shook her hand. “It’s so very nice to meet you, too. Thank you for inviting me over to your house and letting me have so much fun.”

“It’s my pleasure.”

Maddie giggled like crazy. “No way. I got all the pleasure.”

“You are just adorable, aren’t you?” Paisley murmured.

I didn’t pretend not to agree.

Paisley stood. “Okay, so let’s do some introductions.” She touched the little girl’s head who stood beaming up at her. “Like I said, this is my Evelyn.”

I gave a small wave. “Hi, Evelyn.”

“Hi!” she sang.

“And this sweet one right here belongs to Ezra and Savannah…my niece, Olivia. And those two ragamuffins running the yard are their twins, Owen and Oliver.”

Two white-haired boys who couldn’t be more than four or five were currently racing across the lawn, little feet pounding the earth, their laughter floating on the warm breeze.

At the bar last weekend, Savannah had told me about how she’d met Ezra last summer, how he’d insisted she move into their guest house, and how she’d fallen in love with both the man and his three children.

I could feel her love wash the atmosphere.

A tiny boy who was probably three came tottering toward us, and he lifted his arms to Dakota. She swept him up, snuggled his sweet cheek to hers, and smiled my way. “And this is my little man, Kayden. Can you say hi to Mommy’s new friend, Hailey? She’s a really good friend of your uncle Cody’s so I’m pretty sure you’re going to be seeing her a lot.”

She smirked at me.

I choked out a laugh.

“Hi, Haywee.” The tiny boy reached for me with precious, chubby fingers.

I reached out to touch them, and that was it.

My heart burst.

Paisley knocked into my shoulder with hers, though this time, there was no tease to her words. “Welcome to the family.”

THIRTY-SIX

CODY

“What the fuck happened to your face?” Rage jumped into Ryder’s demeanor the second he saw me.

Yeah, I knew that one was coming.

“What the hell, man?” Ezra wheezed it when he turned around, his hand cinching down on the can of beer he held.

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