Page 68 of Blindly Yours

She pushes her page away with the others. “Maybe.” She presses her lips together and looks down. A strand of hair falls across her forehead. “She’s kinda a showoff.”

I find myself reaching up to gently sweep her hair back into place. She leans her head into my touch just slightly, and I slide my hand down to hers and grasp it tightly. “You were really brave today, Kara. Being in the hospital alone can be a scary thing. But you did amazing. I wish I were as strong as you.”

She smiles and squeezes my hand back. “I want to be likeyou. You’re smart, and pretty, and you weren’t even afraid of the chickens even though you never met one before. Sometimes I’m too scared to try new things, but you’re really good at it.”

I turn my eyes to the pumpkin carriage and exhale quietly. Trying new things is what scares me the most—especially with someone so different like Nate. But hearing this seven-year-old’s assessment of me—that I’malreadygood at it—opens my mind in an instant.

Maybe I’m making the worst mistake.

A few moments later, the door swings open and Nate comes in with a duffel bag slung over his shoulder and a paper takeout bag. He spots my hand in Kara’s and his focus lingers there while he slowly sets the duffel down.

Kara sits up straighter. “Did you bring food?”

Nate nods and puts it on the table by the window. “I picked up sandwiches.”

I release Kara’s hand and stand.

“What kind?” Kara asks eagerly.

“Turkey and cheese, with extra mayo andnomustard,” Nate smiles. “Your favorite.”

“Yay!” She pushes her crayons to the side and readies herself to eat.

I quietly make my way to the door. “Well, I should head back.”

“I got an extra sandwich.” Nate’s voice is careful behind me. “If you wanted to stay.” He clears his throat as I turn around. “You didn’t get to have any lunch…”

When I meet his gaze, he looks like he’s almost regretting the suggestion, but I smile. “I’d actually like that. Thank you.”

He lets out a shallow exhale and returns my expression. “Do you like turkey?”

FOURTEEN

Nate

Igather the leftover wrappers from our sandwiches and stuff them back into the takeout bag while Rose is engaged in a deep debate with Kara about Disney princesses and their princes. Turns out, Rose is a sucker for Anna’s Kristoff from Frozen, who is—go figure—not a prince at all. Not even close.

It's amusing to watch them discuss. Rose knows almost as much about the storylines as Kara does, which is refreshing to Kara, I’m sure. I always try to join her whenever she watches. I really do. But I can only listen to ‘Someday My Prince Will Come’ so many times before I lose my mind.

“Flynn has better hair,” Kara crosses her arms and puts on her best smug expression.

“Fair, but Kristoff is stronger.” Rose raises a brow.

“Kristoff is smelly,” Kara retorts.

Rose laughs. “Cause he’s doing all that hard work loading ice! What does Flynn do? Just sit around andsmolder?”

“Yes, in fact. And he’s really good at it.” Kara crosses her arms tighter.

“What about Prince Charming?” I ask.

They both look at me like I’ve lost my mind.

I hold up my hands and chuckle. “Sorry, I thought he was one of the best ones.”

“Noooo,Dad,” Kara shakes her head. “He’s boring. And he doesn’t even remember what Cinderella looks like after he spent all night with her at the ball.” She rolls her eyes.

Rose grins at me with a shrug. “She’s right.”

---