Page 133 of Not Your Little Girl Anymore

The car ride is delicate and sweet and filled with nothing but laughter. Callie has wanted me to play “Barbie Girl” and “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” over and over again.

Parking, I get out of the car and open the door for Callie. She unbuckles herself and leaps out.

“I’ll race ya,” I say.

“I’m faster!”

“Wanna bet on it?” Callie smiles wide and takes off. “Hey! That was cheating!” I dodge after her, laughter filling the quiet parking lot. She reaches the doors before me, and I grab her, lifting her in the air and spinning around. She laughs louder, a small snort falling out of her.

Placing her carefully back onto the ground, she looks up at me. “I told you I was faster.”

“That’s because we fixed your shoes. See, if you kept them on the wrong feet, you wouldn’t have won.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” Callie says, turning to peek inside the door. “Is Summer here?”

I smile at the fact that she remembers her name. “She’s inside waiting for us.”

Callie claps, and swings open the door. She finds Summer right away and runs right to her. I wait by the door for a few minutes watching as they both bond and laugh together before Callie slides her hand into Summer’s, and they make their way to the desk for a pair of bowling shoes.

I hadn’t imagined what it would feel like to see my baby sister love the girl that I’m in love with, but it’s the best feeling in the world.

I chuckle to myself, shake my head, and meet them at the desk.

Wrapping one arm around Summer’s waist, I pull her toward me and press a kiss on her head. “She’s never played before. We’ll need bumpers.”

The employee working places a pair of shoes for Callie and a second pair for Summer. I give her my size, and she walks to grab them just as Callie grabs her pair off the counter and runs to the first spot to put them on.

“How did everything go?” Summer asks once Callie isn’t within hearing distance.

“Oddly OK.”

Summer’s eyebrows shoot to her hairline. “Oh, wow. OK. That’s great, then.”

I smile, keeping my eyes on Callie as she does the bunny ears to tie the shoes. “It’s more than OK.” I look at Summer. “And I have you to thank for that.”

My mouth meets hers for a quick peck before Callie makes her way back to us. “Ew, gross.”

Summer laughs and grabs Callie’s hand again. “Come on, I’ll show you what to do.” Summer turns to look back at me over her shoulder, and the smile she has brightens the entire bowling alley.

My heart fills with adoration and happiness and right now, in this moment, everything falls into place and is exactly how it should be.

***

Summer

I bring a bottle of water to my mouth and take a large sip. A smile hasn’t left my face since Alec walked in with Callie. He looks so… happy. Happier than I’ve ever made him. Happier than when I finally told him I loved him.

I watch as he shows Callie the different spheres on the ball rack. He shows her that each ball is unique in its own way, from the size of the holes where your fingers go to the color and design of each ball. All I do is watch them interact because even though he was so confident that he wanted me to be here with him, this moment isn’t for us. It isn’t for me to get to know his sister. This moment is all about him catching up on lost time.

He needs this.

I watch as Alec shows Callie how to place her fingers on the ball she called dibs on. Her bottom lip curls downward when she becomes frustrated that she can’t get a good grip on the ball.

“I can’t do this. My hands are too little.” Callie frowns.

Alec shifts to her level. “Hey now, none of that. Never tell yourself you can’t do something because everyone on Earth has the power to do anything they dream of.”

Her mouth falls open. “I could see the stars? I could go to space and see the stars in the sky?”

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