Page 9 of Crazy In Love
The round white pumpkin covered with dents was also her favorite because she was certain it was a girl, and she had markson her from helping all her friends and falling down in the process.
And lastly, the yellow pumpkin with warts covering the top of it earned a special place in her heart because it reminded her of when Uncle Rafe took a shovel to the head from Lulu, and he got a big bump on his head, and maybe this pumpkin needed some love.
How she gathered entire stories from looking at these odd-shaped pumpkins was beyond me.
But her gaze narrowed as she looked among the three of them, even asking me to put them beside one another so she could decide which one needed a home the most. Her big chocolate-brown eyes narrowed as she studied each one, like she was preparing to do a lifesaving surgical procedure on them.
“How about we take all three of them home?” I finally said when I realized she would not be making this decision in our lifetime.
“Unc-ee, we can’t do that. Daddy won’t be happy.” She shook her head with concern.
“I’ll take care of it. Don’t worry about it.” I grabbed all three of the pumpkin misfits and went to the register to pay.
Melody talked the entire drive home about how she was going to name them and make them part of the family.
By the time I pulled into the driveway, she’d already come up with names as well as hopes and dreams for their futures.
I unbuckled her, set her feet on the ground, and handed her the round white one. She’d named that one Millie, after her favorite florist, who apparently helped everyone in town by giving them flowers, and then she remembered how she almost fell at the pumpkin patch.
I took the pumpkin covered in warts—which she’d named Uncle Rafe, for obvious reasons—as well as grabbing the big one,which she’d named Unc-ee, after me. Because apparently, she noticed that I also preferred sitting by myself.
The sky was dark now and the air had gotten even chillier, so I hustled her toward the door, which her father had just pulled open.
“There you are,” Archer said. “And I see we brought more pumpkins home.”
Melody explained all of their names and the reasons they had to come home with her, and he listened intently, all while shooting a glare at me.
We set the pumpkins on the bench in their foyer, and he took her coat off and told her to go wash her hands for dinner.
“You want to stay? We’ve got plenty,” he said. “And I made some hot chocolate.”
“Nah. I need to get home. I’ve got some work to do,” I said. “But I’ll have a quick cup of hot chocolate and say goodbye to my girl.”
He led the way to the kitchen, and I followed. “You didn’t need to get her pumpkins. She has plenty.”
“Have you seen the way she chooses a pumpkin? It’s like she’s finding a new family member.” I chuckled as he poured me a glass of cocoa and handed it to me. “Plus, the whole damn town is in an uproar that pumpkin sales are down because Thanksgiving came early this year. Consider it a contribution to the local economy.”
He barked out a laugh just as Melody came around the corner. He poured some soup in their bowls, then pulled some cornbread out of the oven.
“Daddy, Unc-ee saved my friend Millie,” Melody announced as she took her seat at the table.
Archer raised a brow as he looked at me. “Emilia Taylor?”
“Yep. We saw her at the patch.” A wide grin spread across her adorable face.
“Really? That’s interesting, Unc-ee.” He grinned at me, because my entire family knew how I felt about Emilia. “How exactly did we save the flower lady?”
I took another sip of the warm chocolate and rolled my eyes. “It wasn’t that deep. She almost fell on top of Melody, and I stopped it from happening.”
Archer roared out a laugh. “Of course you make it about Melody.”
“Unc-ee loves me. But we like Millie, too,” she said.
Speak for yourself, kid.
“That’s right, little monster. Unc-ee loves you.” I rinsed my mug in the sink and kissed the top of her head. “Have a nice dinner. I’ll see you both later.”
“Be on the lookout for any damsels in distress,” Archer said as he followed me to the front door, laughter bellowing from him. “Maybe you’re finally getting over this vendetta against Emilia, huh?”
