Page 47 of The Jilted Lovers Club
“But we turned it around. I gave her a bath, and now that it’s warmer, we’re headed out to see the cows.”
“Well, that sounds about standard,” Bec says with a laugh.
“She’s thrown your shoes in the toilet?”
“No,” Bec says. “But she tried to flush the cat. She’s lucky she didn’t get scratched.”
“Oh no, that’s terrible!”
I put the cookies in the house, and the three of us walk towards the fenced in field where the cows are grazing. Halfway there, Lottie turns in her grandma’s arms and reaches for me. I widen my eyes with surprise.
“Well, someone has good taste,” Bec says, handing her off to me. Lottie curls under my chin, and my heart nearly explodes at the preciousness of it all.
Bec stays with us for a short while, but when she sees Ashton heading our way, she says something about needing to check something in the oven. She greets Ashton on her way back to the house, touching his arm, and then looking back at me with a smile before taking the path to her front porch.
“Well, this doesn’t look so scary,” he teases. He starts to reach for Lottie, but she burrows deeper into my arms. Both of us catch eyes, and I laugh.
“If you knew the morning we had, you’d recognize what a miracle this is.” I look down at her, then kiss the top of her curly head.
“I can imagine. Looks like you won her over.”
There’s something in his smile, though. In his eyes. Something that says so much more than his words. Something like maybe I wonhimover.
I dismiss the thought—the wish—as soon as it comes.
“Her hair looks great. Have you done this before?”
“Never,” I laugh, peering down again at my handiwork. I’m proud of what I did. “Not bad for a first timer, huh?”
“Not bad at all. How many YouTube tutorials did you watch?”
I laugh. “None.”
He raises an eyebrow.
“TikTok videos,” I say.
“Brilliant.” He looks at the house, then back at me. “I’m heading back to the house for an early lunch. Is it all right if I hang out for a while?”
“It’s your house, silly. And we’ve only had toast and Zowies.”
“Ah, the famous Zowies.”
“Yeah, that one took a while to figure out. Thank god she’s patient.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Is she though?”
I shake my head. “Not at all.”
Back at the house, Ashton fixes sandwiches for both of us, and for Lottie, some cut up cheese, turkey, and bread. I’m really loving this whole carb thing. Who knew bread could taste this good?
When Lottie starts to drift in her highchair, I wave Ashton off and carry her to the bedroom. She doesn’t even fuss as I kiss her little cheek then lay her in the crib. I linger for a moment, watching the way her lashes brush the tops of her cheeks, how her lips purse into tiny petals, how her hands curl in fists above her head.
She’s so damn precious. Once again, I’m bursting.
I leave the room, closing the door behind me. When I turn to Ashton, there’s a soft look on his face.
“What?”
