Page 52 of Take Me to the Valley

Skye joins me and makes a face. “Calista doesn't add cream to them.” Skye wrinkles her nose.

Putting the cream away, I pick Skye up and set her on the counter, so we are at eye level.

“You miss her, don't you?”

I can see the sadness in her eyes.

“Yes. She fit in here, and for the first time, I got to see what it was like to have a mom.” Skye's bottom lip wobbles, and I pull her in for a hug.

Maybe I was naive, thinking I was doing such a good job, and she wasn't missing out with only having a father. I hate seeing her like this, especially when I miss Calista too.

“Why don't you go work on your spelling words for a bit? We still have time before we start dinner,” I say. I’m needing a few minutes to collect my thoughts.

While I know I should start dinner, I just need a breather because I can't seem to admit out loud that I miss Calista, too. And I know Skye needs to hear it.

Going upstairs, I stand in the doorway of the room that Calista stayed in. Since she left, I haven't been able to step foot in it. But I do now, and catch a whiff of her perfume.

Her stuff is gone, but it still feels like she is here. In my imagination, I can see her curled up in bed reading or smiling at me in the mirror as she puts in a pair of earrings, getting ready to take Skye to school or pick her up.

When I turn to leave, something catches my eye on the dresser behind the door. A necklace. Walking over, I pick it up and immediately know it's Calista’s. I remember her wearing it.

That's when I lose it. All the emotion I was holding in bursts out of me. I'm crying in a way I haven't in years. She was never goingto be temporary in my life. I knew it, and even when I had the chance to say something when she was leaving, I didn't.

“Daddy?” Skye asks, tearfully.

“I miss her too, Skye. A lot. I messed up, and I didn't ask her to stay.” Unable to stand, I press my back to the wall, sliding down to the floor.

Skye comes to sit in my lap, wrapping her little arms around my neck.

“Mistakes can always be fixed, right?” she asks tentatively.

She’s repeating words I've told her many times before. Only this time, I don't know if they're true.

I don’t say anything because I don’t know what to say.

“Do you love her, Daddy?” Skye asks, shocking the hell out of me.

I really think about it because my gut reaction is yes, I do, and that I have for longer than I want to admit. The more I think about the last few weeks, the more I realize I love that woman with every part of me, and the reason it hurts so much is that she took my heart with her when she left.

Suddenly, I see everything clearly. It’s like I’ve been walking around in a haze of hurt that only my seven-year-old was truly able to discern.

“Yes, I do. What do you think about me marrying her?” I ask Skye.

Her face lights up with the brightest smile, one I haven't seen since Calista left.

“I was hoping you would! I love her! Are you going to ask her?” Skye says, bouncing in my lap.

At the thought of marrying Calista, I feel peace. Not the normal resistance I would feel when people would randomly ask when I was going to give Skye a mother. I love being Skye’s dad and couldn’t stand the thought of bringing someone in to our life and not only sharing my time with someone but also sharing Skye with someone. Now, with Calista in our lives, it feels like I’m not sharing, but widening the circle. The heartbreak I felt a moment ago is gone. It’s replaced with hope that Calista feels the same way and that I will get her back soon. A plan is forming in my head and I’m not going to wait. I want my future with her to start as soon as possible.

“Will you help me pick out a ring?”

“Yes!” She jumps up.

“Okay, go put on a fancy dress and brush your hair really well.”

She runs off with a happy smile on her face.

Then I head to my room, getting dressed with a satisfied smile on my face. Sending a text to Jack, I ask him to reach out to thejewelry store next door and let them know I'm coming so they don't close early. There’s no way I'm leaving anything to chance.

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