Page 88 of Come Back for Me
“Does it work?” Ellie says with a snort.
My eyes narrow. “Not yet. It apparently needs another part.”
Hadley grabs my hand and pulls me closer to it. “Then we can’t bring it because it isstillbroken.”
How does a seven-year-old master this level of sarcasm already?
“And we can’t get a pumpkin the size of the car.”
Hadley gives a dramatic sigh. “Fine. Can we get a pony?”
“Uhh,” I say, not understanding how we went from a pumpkin to a pony.
Ellie stands there with a grin as though this is the funniest thing, and an expression that saysI can’t wait to see how Connor will handle the question. “I can’t promise that, Squirt. I can barely manage the cows.”
She looks off to the side, seeming to ponder that. “Okay.”
That was easy.
“Maybe soon,” she adds before taking my hand, stopping me from saying anything more. “Let’s go look at the pumpkins—you know, the ones that Connorcanlift without a crane.”
We walk over to where there is a row of pumpkins, and she studies each one intently.
“Can you lift this one?” Hadley asks as she picks up one that’s the size of her hand.
I give her a pointed stare, and she giggles. “You’re just messing with me.”
“I think you could lift all the pumpkins.”
“You must really think I’m strong.”
She nods. “You have big muscles, doesn’t he, Mommy?”
I look to Ellie with a sly grin. “Yeah, Mommy, do I have big muscles?”
“You have a big ego.”
Hadley scratches her head. “What’s an ego?”
Ellie sighs. “It’s what you think about yourself. And it seems Connor thinks he’s super strong and handsome.”
“He is handsome. You told Sydney you thought he was,” Hadley informs us.
Ellie’s lips part, and I can’t avoid teasing her a bit. It’s way too fun. “You did, huh?”
“I might have mentioned it—once.”
Hadley puts her pumpkin down and comes over to take both our hands in hers. “I think you’re handsome.”
“Well thank you, Squirt,” I say as I squeeze her hand. “I think your mommy is very pretty.”
“Do you think I’m pretty?”
“I think you’re beautiful,” I tell her. “The most beautiful girl in all of the world.”
Hadley beams under my praise and then releases Ellie’s hand. Her arms wrap around my legs and she holds on tight. She gives the best hugs. They come from the center of her body, and it’s like tentacles wrapping around you.
“You don’t have to get me a pony, Connor.”
