Page 87 of Finding Our Reality

Laura folds her little hands together. “I can do that! I set the table every night for me and my mom.”

Lulu smiles brightly. “See? My job’s already gotten easier.”

It’s good to see Lulu smile again, to hear her laugh. I’m not sure where she went mentally when Laura and I drove her outto the creek, but she went somewhere deep and isolated. She always loved the creek, and now, it’s Laura’s favorite spot too.

After I moved back to the homestead, I cleared out a wide path, running all the way from the big garage to the creek. I was surprised to find that the wildflowers had quadrupled in number. They come back each year, blooming from spring to fall. Every single color under the sun. Thousands upon thousands.

Lulu smiled politely at Laura’s endless chatter and quietly giggled at Laura’s jokes, but when Laura and I took off our shoes to wade and splash in the creek, Lulu walked away. Leaving us, she hid beneath the shade of a large tree. She sat and sat and sat. At one point, I thought I heard her crying. Normally, I would’ve raced to her side to see what was wrong, but the moment seemed too intimate, too personal. Instead, I gave her some space. Eventually, she walked back out into the sunshine, joining me and Laura at our game of skipping rocks.

The creek was always Lulu’s favorite spot. We watched the sun set there. We made love there. We read books and talked about our hopes and dreams. It was our secret spot. Maybe being here… there’s just too many memories.

Laura tugs on my shorts, drawing my attention. “And cheese bread too, please.”

“I guess I can make that happen.” Kissing the top of her head, I grab my T-shirt and pull it on. I nudge Lulu with my shoulder, rubbing my body against hers. “Any special requests from you?”

Biting her lip, she playfully winks. “Surprise me.”

***

By the time I get back from town, the girls have cleaned up the porch, set the inside kitchen table, and baked some brownies with some mix they found in the cabinet—I forgot it was even in there. Chitchatting over dinner, we stuff ourselves silly.

Pushing my chair underneath the table, I tug on Laura’s hair. “It’s bath time, Little Girl.”

“Woo-hoo!” She watches as Lulu loads the dirty plates in the dishwasher. “My bathtub here is huge, much bigger than my bathtub at our apartment. I love the water. Uncle Ry said, maybe, one day, he’ll build a swimming pool for me.”

“I love swimming too,” Lulu says. “The house I live in has a pool. Maybe Ry can bring you swimming one day.”

Laura jumps in the air, clapping her hands. “Yes!”

“I have a little cousin, Anna, who turns six at the end of next month. Maybe the two of you can have a swimming playdate.”

Laura spins around in excitement. “Can we, Uncle Ry? Can we have a playdate and swim?”

Lulu just made my niece’s day. “Sure. But right now, you need to swim in that tub. You’re damn filthy.”

“Ry!” Lulu scolds me for my choice of words.

Laura grabs my hand. “It’s okay, Miss Lulu. Uncle Ry cusses all the time. I’m used to it.”

I furrow my brow, faking insult. “Notallthe time. It’s just hard to stop my habits just because little ears are around to hear.”

Lulu laughs. Laura and I start up the stairs when her voice stops us in our tracks. “I’ll go ahead and call Holt for a ride; it’s getting late.”

I don’t have time to argue. Laura does it for me. “What! It just got dark outside. Uncle Ry always lets me watch a movie after bath. Don’t you wanna watch a movie with us? I’ll even let you pick.”

Lulu reaches behind her neck, rubbing her scar.

“Stay.” My plea is calm. Controlled. “Stay the night. I’ll take you home when I take Laura home tomorrow. Holt already took your car back to your place. You don’t have to worry about that.”

She takes a deep breath, thinking. “I have to be in Jackson for that medical malpractice suit by lunch on Monday. I was gonna leave tomorrow afternoon, but I guess I can just get an early start on Monday.”

A small weight lifts from my chest, and I realize the thought of her leaving nearly choked the life from my heart. “Good. It’s settled.”

After filling Laura’s bath water, I leave her to play with her bath toys. I’m about to head back downstairs when I hear the shower turn on in my bathroom. Walking through the bedroom, I see that Lulu made the bed from this morning. Leaning my ear against the closed bathroom door, I hear the water displace the second she steps into the shower.

Lulu’s naked. In my house. In my shower.

The thought alone makes my dick painfully jump to life. I think back to last night when I was undressing her. I wouldn’t have undressed her. Really, I wouldn’t have. But… she kind of threw up on herself when I was driving her home—to her place. That quickly changed my mind and had me driving the country roads to my house instead of the city roads to hers.

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