Page 123 of Sweet Escape
“Honey, I’d give you just about anything after that performance.”
I take Olivia by the hand and guide her into our bedroom, leaving her at the foot of the bed before heading straight for the closet.
“Close your eyes.”
She sighs and covers her face with her hands, but I know better than to think she’s not peeking. “Close your eyes, Livie.”
“Ugh, fine.”
I grab the garment bag hidden in the back of the closet, along with the shoebox tucked behind the safe, and make my way back to her. She’s leaning back on her hands, her eyes pinched tight.
I drop to one knee and pull out the first cowboy boot. It took some time to find exactly what I was looking for, but the moment I saw these, I knew. I carefully slide off one of Olivia’s fuzzy slippers, replacing it with the special-order wide calf boot, then repeat the process on the other side. “Ok, you can open them now.”
She gasps, her hands coming up to cover her mouth as she glances down at her feet, taking in the light pink cowboy boots with the daisies stitched on either side. “Wilder, they’re beautiful.”
“Happy birthday, Cupcake.”
She cradles my face in her palms, bringing her lips to mine in a lingering kiss. “Thank you.”
“There’s more where that came from.” I nod to the garment bag beside her on the bed. “Get dressed and meet me in the entry in thirty minutes. Think you can handle that?”
“What happens if I’m late?”
“A repeat performance, only you don’t get to come.”
“Shit.”
Olivia
I’ve never felt more beautiful than I do dressed in a tea-length white milkmaid dress with a slit up my thigh, and my brand new cowboy boots. I curled my hair and left it down around my shoulders for probably the first time since I gave birth. I’ve been living in pajamas and messy buns for months, but I finally feel like myself again.
“Wow,” Wilder says. “Ok, cancel everything. I’m taking you back to bed.”
“Not a chance. I want to see what else you have up your sleeve.”
Wilder lets out a resigned sigh and drives us down to the big house. Daisy’s ears whip in the wind in the rearview as she barrels down the road after us. As soon as I step out of the truck, a blur in the shape of Emmy Lou nearly tackles me to the ground. “Happy birthday, Mama.”
Mama. The moniker is a new development, and it never fails to make my heart leap in my chest. I thought it would make Wilder uncomfortable the first time she said it, but he just nodded, letting a single tear slip down his cheek.
“Hey, sweet girl,” I say, “where’s Sissy?”
“She’s sleepy,” she says before turning to her daddy. “Can we go to the party now?”
“What’s this about a party?”I ask.
“Thanks a lot, Emmy Lou,” he says, tugging on one of her pigtails. They’re even today—Wilder’s been practicing. “Come here, you little menace.”
She rushes into his arms, and he tosses her in the air. Her melodic laughter drifts on the breeze. Securing her to his hip, he reaches for my hand, and I thread my fingers through his.
He tugs me down the path to the barn, and I pull up short when I spot the massive crowd of people gathered there. Daisy yips and darts off to Jax, her second favorite Hayes brother.
There’s a huge display erected near the paddock with pink and white balloons adorned with bows and daisies in front of two arches with my name written in cursive. My freshly painted trailer with the custom Lick the Spoon logo is filled to the brim with treats of all kinds, including Grammy’s pies and Evie’s cookies.
My mom and dad are standing nearby, locked in an embrace, while Grammy and Gramps are perched at one of the picnic tables scattered around the area. I lock eyes with Evie standing behind Gracie’s stroller, and she gives me a subtle wink. Everyone is here, including Sarah and Max. Thanks to my quick wit and flirty texts, they’re going on six months as an official couple.
I blink away tears, swallowing around the lump in my throat. “Wilder, you didn’t have to do all of this for me.”
I turn to look at the man who’s given me everything I could’ve ever wanted, only to find he’s not where I left him.
