Page 64 of Everlasting Love

“Then I’ll be there.”

“Yay!” she shouts as Shane buckles her into her booster seat.

“I’ll follow you to school,” he tells me as he closes Jasmine’s door.

“You don’t have to come to school. She’ll expect you to come every day.”

“Then I’ll be there every day that I can. I have to coach Evan’s soccer team after school today, but I’ll be home in time to cook dinner.”

Can an organ melt? Seriously, this man melts my heart with the time and attention he gives the kids in his life. I know he would do anything for them, but it’s something else to witness a manspeakthrough his actions as well as his words and all I can do is nod.

As soon as I climb into the driver’s seat, Jas’s voice fills the space. “Today’s the best day.”

We spend the drive to school singing along to Jas’s favorite playlist while I try to control the butterflies taking over my stomach. When I pull into the parking lot at school, Cass and Poppy are waiting. The instant I turn off the engine, Poppy has Jas’s door open and she helps release her cousin from her booster seat. The next thing I know, Cass opens my door. “Hey, Vi.”

“Hey?” Confusion colors my greeting. “What are you doing here?”

“Can’t a girl come say hi to her sister?” Uh, yeah, but this is highly unusual.

“Of course, but what about the shop?”

“Sam was happy to open for me today. I’m going straight there.”

Jas wraps her arms around my sister’s legs. “Hi, Aunty Cass.”

Cass giggles and bends down to pick up Jas. “Hey, Jolly Jas.” They both chuckle, and I take the opportunity to say hello to Poppy. Shane climbs out of his car and Jas wriggles in my sister’s arms, so she places her on her feet. Cass raises her brows at me, then calls out to Shane, “Hey, Shane. Fancy seeing you here.”

“Hey, Cass.” He waits until Poppy looks at him, then signs hello to her.

“How’s Daisy?” I ask.

Cass’s smile grows wide. “She’s great. Trying to talk up a storm.” She wraps her arm around me, looks over her shoulder, and tugs me in close. “But that’s not why I stopped by. I heard that a certain sexy bodyguard was caught kissing my sister in the upstairs hallway last night.” She wriggles her eyebrows up and down, and my cheeks immediately flush, remembering what happened in the garage last nightafter thatkiss. “Oh my God! I knew you two just needed to spend some time together and thefire would catch.” Geez, if she knew what happened later, she’d be beside herself.

“Shh, keep your voice down.” I pointedly glance around. “I’m not talking with you about this.”

She sticks out her bottom lip. “Well, that’s not fair.”

“It’s not like you shared the details when you and Toby got together.”

She pulls away slightly. “I didn’t share because you’d just left Allen and I didn’t want to shove my newfound happiness in your face. I was being thoughtful. It wasn’t that I didn’twantto share. I would have loved to but I didn’t think it was fair.” Her gray eyes swirl with emotion and I feel like a bitch.

I wrap my arms around her and squeeze her hard. “I’m sorry I was in a shitty place and you couldn’t talk to me. I feel like a selfish bitch now.”

“You weren’t.” She shrugs. “Life isn’t always good to us.”

Poppy wraps her arms around her mom and Cass leans down to kiss the top of her head, then they sign goodbye to each other. I hug her and sign, “Have a great day.”

Poppy places her fingers near her lips and then moves her hand toward me and down. “Thank you.”

“Mommy, we need to get to class,” Jas prompts.

“I know.” I turn to Cass. “Gotta go but let’s catch up. Maybe I can have lunch with you at the shop next week.”

“Sounds perfect. But, Vi. Promise me you’ll take this opportunity and make something happen.”

I nod. “I will.”Don’t worry, Sis, I’m already on it. Literally. I barely hold back a snicker as we part ways with Shane hot on our heels.

Once Cass leaves, Shane holds out his hand for Jas and she slides hers into it with glee. “Lead the way.” My eyes catch and lock at the sight of my daughter’s tiny hand in Shane’s muchlarger one, and my mind immediately sprints ahead to a future I would do almost anything to have.

---