Page 40 of The One Who Changed Everything

I frowned. "Sam?"

"Never mind." The words came fast, like she was trying to shove them back in before I could catch them. "I’ll figure something out."

That set off every alarm in my head. "Hold on. What do you need?"

Another pause. I could practically hear her grinding her teeth. "I hate to ask, but I’m stuck at work. Mr. Henley is on some terror about missing books and insisting we track every one down. Is there any way you could pick Sophia up from school?”

“I thought she took the bus?”

“She had a theatre club meeting and didn’t take the bus,” she explained. “If there was anyone else…”

While I didn’t love that I was her last resort, I wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to be there for my girl.

I glanced at the clock. "Yeah, of course. I’ll head there now."

Another pause. A quiet exhale. Then, "Are you sure? I don’t want to—"

"Sam." My voice was firm, cutting off whatever excuse she was about to make. "I’ve got it."

Silence stretched for a beat. Then, so quietly I almost didn’t hear it, "Thanks. I’ll send a message to her watch and let her know."

And then the line went dead.

I tossed a quick salute to the chief, who just shook his head with a knowing grin, and made my way to the parking lot.

Pulling up outside the school, I parked under a canopy of trees whose leaves were starting to tinge gold. It was already late September, and summer was giving way to fall. I leaned against the car, trying to seem casual, but my heart ticked up a notch, just like it always did.

"Hey, Sophia." I pushed off from the car and offered her the best smile I could muster, hoping to mask the nerves that seemed out of place on a seasoned firefighter. But then again, this wasn't a fire I was facing—it was something far more unpredictable.

Sophia's backpack bounced against her as she made a beeline for me, a grin spreading across her face that could outshine the sun. "Evan!" she exclaimed.

"Hey there," I replied, scooping her into a hug that lifted her feet clear off the ground. She laughed, and I felt the day's weight lift off my shoulders.

"I was so happy when Mom said you were picking me up!" She wriggled free and skipped ahead to the passenger side of my truck.

I blinked, still standing there for a beat longer than I should have. She was happy I was here. Not just okay with it—happy.

By the time I snapped out of it, she was already yanking the door handle, her energy vibrating in the air around her. I jogged ahead to open it for her, earning a grin that made my chest tighten in a way I wasn’t prepared for.

“Buckle up,” I said, ruffling her hair as she climbed in. As I did, I wondered if her teenage self would bristle at the affection, but her smile only widened.

She did, chattering away as I slid behind the wheel. I caught Sophia's eyes in the rearview mirror.

"Guess what we did in science today?" she asked, her voice buzzing with excitement as we pulled away from the school.

"Tell me," I said, keeping one eye on the road and another on her animated expression.

"We dissected frogs!" Her nose wrinkled in mock disgust, but the gleam in her eye told me she'd loved every second of it.

"Ah, the rite of passage for all young scholars," I quipped. "Did you name yours before or after the... procedure?"

"Before, obviously." She rolled her eyes with perfect teenage dramatic flair. "His name was Prince Charming. Didn't turn into a human, though."

"Maybe he was just waiting for the right princess," I teased, and her laughter filled the car like music.

"Or the right scientist," she countered, always quick on the draw.

The chatter continued as we pulled into Samantha's parking lot, the engine ticking softly in the quiet aftermath of our ride. Sophia was mid-sentence, detailing the latest classroom drama with the enthusiasm of a talk show host.

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