Page 63 of Finally Home

“You should take a class or two while you’re here,” Brynn offers.

“Oh, I don’t know about that. I think I’ll prefer to be on this side of the camera and just live vicariously through all of you.”

“Think about it?”

“Sure, I’ll think about it.” Maybe that will take my mind off Ollie. Who am I kidding? I don’t think he will ever leave my mind.

Brynn opens her mouth to speak but is quickly cut off by giggles and stampeding footsteps.

“Mommy,” a little girl shrieks as she barrels toward Brynn. With superfast reflexes, Brynn turns and catches her in her arms. The little girl doesn’t stop giggling, and her laughter is infectious.

“Eva, where’s Daddy?” Brynn asks, just as a man enters the studio. She glances over and laughs.

“I win, Daddy,” Brynn’s daughter says with the biggest grin as she snuggles into her mom’s neck.

“Eva, sweetheart, what did we talk about with running away, especially when Mommy’s working? She could have had a class full of people.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, baby girl,” Brynn cuts in, rubbing small circles on her daughter’s back. “But Daddy’s right, and you should be sure to stay with him. Even though we know you’re so much faster.”

“Ugh,” the man groans as he closes the distance between us all. “My girls are always ganging up on me.”

“Yep, forever.” Brynn smiles, beaming up at him.

“And I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He wraps his arms around both Brynn and Eva before leaning down and pressing his lips to Brynn’s. Eva giggles, and they break apart, but neither drops the smile on their face. The way he looks at his wife and daughter. It’s as if they’re the sun that he orbits around. Suddenly, I feel like I’m encroaching on a private moment. But I can’t stop myself from lifting my camera and capturing the sweet moment.

The click of the camera causes everyone to turn my way, and I smile shyly. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t help myself. That moment was so precious.” I shift the camera to show them, and Brynn’s smile grows even bigger.

“You must be the photographer that came in on her white horse and saved my wife.”

I laugh at his description.

“I am, but I usually just go by Hollie.”Hollie.The name that I only started going by thanks to Oliver. Otherwise, it was always Holland. But I’m not that same person anymore.

“Hi, Hollie. I’m Cal Murphy.” He holds his hand out in front of him for me to shake.

“Nice to meet you, Cal.”

“And this little wild one is Eva.” Brynn looks down at her daughter. “Can you say hi to Miss Hollie?”

“Hi,” she says before wrapping her arms around her mom’s neck and burying her face again.

“She’s absolutely adorable.”

“Thank you,” Brynn and Cal say in unison.

“Mommy?” Eva whispers, pulling Brynn’s attention to her. “I gots to go potty.”

“Okay, let’s go use the one in Mommy’s office.” Brynn turns to me. “Are you good?”

I nod. “Of course. I’m just going to clean up here and then disappear for a bit and work on editing some shots from this morning.”

Eva cuts Brynn off from saying anything else when she kicks her feet as if she were trying to get a horse to move and whines, “Mommy, I gots to go now.”

“Alright, sweet girl. Let’s go.”

“I’ll wait here for you,” Cal calls out, and Brynn acknowledges him with a wave.

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