Page 57 of Laws of Love
Aiva smiled down at Yasmine’s excited face. “That sounds like fun. You want to lead the way, and we can follow you?”
“Yeah, I can do it. I’ve been here a million times, so I know the way.”
Aiva mounted her bike, and Yasmine started down the path. She and Knox followed close behind her. It was a beautiful day out; the weather was nice, and other people were riding their bikes, skating, or walking along the trail.
The first half of the ride was silent, the three enjoying the weather and Yasmine giggling at a couple of squirrels playing together or butterflies fluttering by. The second half of the ride was spent with Yasmine telling them how she was excited about the upcoming field day at the end of the school year.
Aiva was sure Knox had heard all of it before, and Yasmine was speaking to her more than her dad. She’d never seen a child so genuinely excited about school and the things they learned there. Her younger siblings had always complained about anything that had to do with school unless it was a field trip, and even then, depending on where they were going, they might still complain.
They rode around the trail twice before Yasmine asked if they could play for a bit before they went to get lunch. They found an empty picnic table and parked their bikes beside it.
“Ms. Aiva, will you push me on the swing?” Yasmine asked.
“Sure, sweetie.” No sooner than the words were out of her mouth did Yasmine grab her hand and begin leading her to a nearby swing set.
“I’ll watch the bikes!” Knox called after them.
Yasmine hopped into a swing, and Aiva stepped behind it. “Are you ready?” she asked the little girl.
“I’m ready!” she responded excitedly, bouncing in the swing, and Aiva couldn’t help but laugh a little.
She pushed her, gradually increasing the height until she thought Yasmine was as high as she should go. Aiva didn’t want to push her too high, and she fell out or got scared.
“My Daddy likes you, Ms. Aiva,” Yasmine stated on a downward swing.
“Oh,” Aiva responded unintelligibly because she hadn’t expected the five-year-old to say that.
“Yeah, he told me this morning you went on some adult playdates when I asked.”
“We’ve gone on a few…playdates,” Aiva responded.
“That means you like him too, right? Because you wouldn’t go on them if you didn’t like him.”
“I do,” Aiva confirmed.
“That’s good. You’re nice, so he’ll be happier because...Mommy wasn’t always nice,” Yasmine responded, pausing as if she was in thought. “But that’s the past,” she perked up and looked over her shoulder, giving Aiva a big smile as the swing surged upward.
From their previous conversations, she knew that Yasmine was an inquisitive child. However, a discussion about her mother was not one Aiva thought she should have with her.
“You want to go down the slide a few times before we head to lunch?” Aiva asked instead.
“Sure!”
Aiva stopped the swing, and Yasmine hopped out, skipping to the slide. She followed behind and watched as she slid a few times. She made a mental note to speak to Knox about her and Yasmine’s conversation. It wasn’t in-depth, but she knew from experience that children were just as good at hiding things as adults, and while Knox said Yasmine was adjusting well, she would be remiss if she didn’t say something.
“Do you want to play on anything else?” Aiva asked after Yasmine went down the slide one last time and grabbed her hand.
“No, I think we’re going to lunch, where they have a play area. I can play some more there.”
The two walked over to Knox, and he raised a brow at them. “Done already?”
“Yasmine says we’re going somewhere with a play area for lunch, and she can play more there.”
“That… hadn’t been the plan, but I see it is now,” Knox responded, standing. “Come on, I’ll help you load your bike into the back of your SUV, and you can meet us at the condo.”
They walked their bikes over to where Aiva was parked. She’d let down her rear seats for the bicycle to fit. She watched as Knox lifted the bike effortlessly and placed it inside.
“Both of yours might fit if we put Yasmine’s on top. I could drive you home,” Aiva responded. The ride was only a few blocks, but with her back seats down, she wasn’t sure how Knox would feel about having Yasmine in his lap for the short ride.
