Page 10 of Chase Our Forever

“Cupcakes?” I ask with a small laugh.

“It really was only one and a half,” Pippa explains, giving me an apologetic smile. “She’s too cute, Dean,” she continues. “I couldn’t say no.”

Clara nods triumphantly in Pippa’s lap, a smug grin on her face. “Two cupcakes weresoyummy, Daddy.”

I stifle a laugh. I’m shocked she isn’t bouncing off the walls from the excess sugar, but she looks happy, and she has me so tightly wrapped around her finger that I can’t even scold her for eating two cupcakes before supper.

“We’ve got to get going, Clara. Daddy needs to get you home and make you dinner before dance class tonight.”

“Can I wear my pretty braids to dance?” Clara asks with glee, her tiny hands clapping together.

“Of course you can,” I answer, loving the pure joy all over her face. I’ve always felt guilty taking her to dance classes when I knew all the other girls had mothers who knew how to pull theirhair back into buns or give them fancy braids. Clara doesn’t have that, and it pains me that I can’t do the same for her no matter how many video tutorials on the internet I watch.

It’s in the small moments like these that I feel the void of Selena being gone the most. She was an amazing wife, but she was an even better mother, even if she didn’t get to be one for long. She would’ve loved to do Clara’s hair, and I hate that it’s something I’m not good at.

Liv’s been quiet throughout the end of our encounter. I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing or why, all of a sudden, I’m wishing this stranger who Clara decided to become best friends with was a local.

I’m incredibly picky when it comes to who watches over my daughter, probably because none of them can even come close to being the mother figure Clara needs in her life. So, if Clara doesn’t love who she spends her day with, I fire them.

It’s unfortunate that the first person my daughter seems to really be excited about probably isn’t an option.

“It was nice meeting you,” I tell Liv, forcing a smile. “Thank you for helping out with my daughter. I know it probably wasn’t what you were wanting to do when you stopped in here this morning.”

She gives me a smile, showing off her dimples. “It was theperfectday. Thank you for trusting me.”

I nod, not knowing what else to say to her. She has my card and knows where I’ll be tomorrow. There’s not much else to be said.

My eyes move from Liv to Pippa and Lexi. “As always, thank you to the both of you. It means the world to me that you help with Clara without any hesitation.”

They both smile. “Anytime, Dean. She was a blast. Today, she even talked Ms. Rosemary into changing her coffee order. Ms. Rosemary’s been ordering the same thing since I started.”

I raise my eyebrows in surprise. “Did she now? Clara can be persuasive.”

“What’s pevasive mean?” Clara asks, completely butchering the word as she wraps her arm around my leg.

“It means you know how to sweet-talk. Now, c’mon. Let’s let these girls have some kid-free time.”

“But what does sweet-talk mean?” Clara asks, making the girls laugh. This kid is full of questions.

I run my hand over the top of her head before gently guiding her toward the front door. I want to make sure we have enough time before dance to feed her a nutritious meal since it seems like she might’ve eaten a lot of sugar with the girls. “Let’s get home,” I tell her, watching her skip in front of me to get the door.

“Bye!” Clara calls out, pressing her back to the door and holding it open as best as she can with her tiny body. “See you later,” she adds.

I press my palm into the cold glass of the door, looking over my shoulder one last time. I have no idea if I’ll see Liv again, but I can’t help acknowledging that a large part of me wishes I will.

Something about her feels right.

6

LIV

“Pippa,you don’t know me. I can’t just sleep on your couch tonight. What if I’m a serial killer?”

Pippa rolls her eyes as she cleans off a nearby table. I’ve managed to hang out at Wake and Bake all day, avoiding getting back on the road. When I first came into town early this morning, I thought it’d be a quick stop. I was starving, and it had food. But the longer I’m at Wake and Bake, chatting with various people who stopped by and getting to know Pippa and Lexi, the more I realize I don’t want to leave.

Lexi left a while ago, having to go home to help her grandmother take care of her siblings. I’ve learned a lot about Pippa in the calm between lunch and dinner. I’ve learned so much about her that I now feel closer to her. I really think, in time, she could become a good friend. She was forthcoming with her entire story, something I should learn to be. Opening Wake and Bake was her dream for as long as she could remember.

I also learned that her family owns a ranch here in Sutten where they do trail rides—something I’d love to do if I end up spending some extra time here. She has a brother, whose name I forgot, but is the one taking over the ranch for her father.

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