Page 61 of Stick Move

“Are they bears?” Camryn asks and we laugh.

“They’re Bernese Mountain dogs.”

I kneel next to Camryn. “What do you think, Bean? Should we get a pup?”

Her eyes go wide and tears form in her eyes. “Daddy, no!”

“No, you don’t want one?”

“I do, Daddy. I do.”

One of the pups comes running up to her and she cries as she bends to hug it. “I want this one.”

“Is that one spoken for?” I ask as I stand, and Betsy shakes her head no.

“Yes, Camryn, you can have that one. What should we call her?” I ask.

“Mabel. I want to call her Mabel.” I laugh, having no idea where she came up with that name as she hugs the pup and then stands to wrap her arms around my legs. “Now I have a daddy and a puppy and I’m going to have a mommy soon, too.”

My gaze flies to Brighton’s and when she smiles like she likes that idea too, my heart misses a beat because in that instant, I begin to believe we can do this thing called love and life.

What could possibly come between us now?

18

BRIGHTON

It’s insane how much I miss Noah. Sure, he’s only been gone one day and night so far, but the place feels so lonely without him. I can’t even remember what life was like before him. But I have a little one to take care of and I don’t want her dwelling on his absence, which means we’re going to do some fun things this Saturday afternoon.

It’s still nice enough to go swimming in the ocean, and I’d like to take advantage of that before the cold weather is here. Sometimes I wonder why I live in Boston when I hate snow so much. Heck, I have such a bubble of joy inside me, not even the approaching winter can bring me down.

“I like when you brush my hair,” Camryn says, pulling me from my thoughts.

“That’s good because I like brushing your hair. It’s getting so long. Do you want to keep growing it or get a cut?”

“I want it long. Like yours.”

“Okay.”

A beat of silence as I gather it up and put it in a ponytail. “Did your mommy brush your hair?”

Her words hit like a ball of fire in my chest. “No, my mommy was always busy, so I combed it myself.” She goes quiet again and that always worries me, because it means she’s thinking hard. She jumps from the bed when I finish her hair and turns to me. “Where is your mommy?”

“She doesn’t live around here.” Catching me by surprise, she jumps back on the bed, going behind me, and takes the brush. She starts combing out my hair and her actions don’t just tug on my hair, they tug on my heart.

“I can comb your hair now.”

“I like that, Jellybean. Afterward, how about we go to the restaurant and get some of those yummy chicken nuggets?” She squeals in delight. Noah and I always try to give her nutritious food, but once in a while I don’t think a treat will hurt.

I take an elastic off my wrist and hand it to her. “Why don’t you put it in a ponytail, and we can be twins.”

She giggles. “We have twins in my class,” she begins, and then, as she makes a mess of my ponytail, continues to talk about school and I’m grateful for the shift in subjects. Once we’re done, I check it in the mirror.

“Perfect,” I tell her. “Now let’s go eat and then we can hit the beach.” I pick up our bag with the towels and snacks, and we walk down the hall. I can’t help but glance into Noah’s room—my room—while he’s gone. “Later tonight, we’re going to video message with your daddy.”

“Yay!” she screams. “Do you think he’s going to bring me back a present?”

“Does he usually?”

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