Page 98 of Choosing Forever
“Can we stay to say hi, Mom? Please?” Abbie asks.
If Sasha answers, I don’t hear it. Spotting Delaney, I inhale alungful of air and adjust my hat despite it already being perfectly in place.
Somehow, she looks even more beautiful now than she did a half hour ago. Her hair is glossier, and the freckles on her face and neck and arms have deepened in the sun, even if it isn’t as warm. Even the grassy colour of her eyes is lighter, gleaming with what I hope is excitement.
Well, that is until they flick to Sasha and stay there, frozen. Slowly, I watch the colour drain from her cheeks and a muscle beneath her eye tighten. There’s no gloss in her eyes now. Instead, they’re dark and unforgiving.
“Hi, Delaney!” Abbie calls excitedly.
My dream woman finally joins us. She keeps a few feet between herself and everyone else while focusing on my daughter.
“Hey, Abbie.”
“Is that lemonade?”
Delaney glances down at the two cups in her hands and nods. I examine both of them, trying to figure out if one of them is for me. And if so, whether I’ll be drinking manure or not.
“It is,” she says.
“Is one for my dad?”
“Yes . . . they accidentally made an extra one. I figured your dad might be thirsty.”
Sasha blows out a breath loud enough for everyone to hear, not believing her and making sure she knows it. I strain to keep from saying anything I shouldn’t and keep my eyes on Delaney.
“Which one’s mine? I’m assuming they’re different?”
She rolls her lips, hiding her initial reaction to my questions while handing me the left one.
The corner of my mouth tips up into a teasing smirk as I take it and give it a long look. “Safe to drink?”
“It’s safe enough.”
“Mm, that’s reassuring.”
“You should say thank you, Dad,” Abbie tells me, nudging me with her shoe.
I let loose a low laugh and ruffle the top of her head. “Thank you for the lemonade, Elle.”
“Hi, Delaney,” Sasha says under her breath.
“On that note, we should leave to get your lemonade, Abbie. Say goodbye to your dad and his friends,” Sasha says.
Abbie frowns for a quick second before stealing a hug from Bryce and then wrapping her arms around my middle. I drop to a crouch to kiss her hair.
“Bye! See you Monday, Delaney.”
“Don’t forget your library books this week,” Delaney reminds her.
“Okay!”
Sasha doesn’t give us the same goodbye as our daughter, but I can’t say I mind it. I wait for them to get far enough away before taking another look at my lemonade.
It’s in a plastic cup with a thick blue straw, but neither of those things means anything to me. What does is the blue syrup floating around inside the cup amongst the slices of lemon and seeds big enough to clog the straw.
“Blue raspberry?” I ask.
Delaney stares at her lemonade, avoiding mine. “It was all they had.”
