Page 69 of Endlessly Yours
She giggled and smiled up at me with her newly gap-tooth smile since she had just lost a fresh baby tooth.
“Did the Tooth Fairy visit?” I asked, though I knew the answer.
“Yes. Aunt Rory was very excited to tell me all about the Tooth Fairy because they didn’t get to visit my old house. But they like it here. It’s like a home here.” She smiled brightly, and I swallowed hard, that familiar kick in the gut whenever she spoke about her past, even if she didn’t even realize what she was saying.
I didn’t know exactly what Rory’s twin had been doing before the girls had moved here, before everything had changed. But the girls were settling down and figuring out their lives. Yes, Cameron still sometimes lashed out at Rory, but it was out of pain more than anything. The fact that the girl was helping me set up this date tonight spoke more about her acceptance of her new life.
“If there is a fire, we’ll be okay, right?”
I set my things down, knowing I’d have to put everything away in a moment. And then I held out my arms. Alice ran to me, and hugged me tightly, and I just ran my hand down her back.
“We are taking care of the land, so that way, the land takes care of us. I know you were scared when you were out in that field by the resort all alone, but you’re not going to run away like that again, are you?”
“I promise.”
“Good. Because we would be worried if you did. But don’t worry okay? We’re always going to be here.”
“Not always. Mommy and Daddy weren’t always.”
I could have rightly kicked myself for saying those words. I, above most people, understood that sometimes, no matter how hard you wanted them to stay, people you loved couldn’t always.
I kissed the top of Alice’s head before I picked the little girl up and carried her back towards Rory’s house.
“You’re right. Sometimes life doesn’t work out the way that you want it to, but your aunt and I are going to do our best to make sure that you guys are taken care of no matter what, okay?”
“Okay. But make sure that you have fun with Aunt Rory tonight. She deserves to be a princess.”
I smiled at that. “Yes, she does.” I kissed the top of her head again as I walked inside and set the little girl down. “Go distract your aunt while I go shower. And then, I’ll be over to kidnap her.”
“Okay!” she shouted before she ran upstairs to where presumably Cameron was asking Rory how to do makeup so that way Rory would be ready for our date tonight. The kid was slightly diabolical, and I loved it.
I ran back to my place, put everything back in the shed, and went into my house to shower. I was rarely at my place other than to grab a few things, and it didn’t seem to bother the girls, so I wasn’t going to let it bother me. I checked the weather map again, grateful it wasn’t going to storm tonight. Fire wasn’t the only thing that we worried about in these places, considering there was also wind damage like we’d already had, flash floods, and various other weather phenomena. But there was nothing we could do to stop it other than try to pick up the pieces if something else happened. It had just been a dry few months, and that meant if it did rain, flash floods were going to be an issue.
I shook my head, remembering the flash flood that almost killed somebody that we had loved in our family, but I pushed those thoughts from my mind and quickly slid on dark jeans, a button-up top, and figured that would have to be good enough. We weren’t going fancy because Rory didn’t like fancy, and I was grateful for that. A nice steak dinner, and then maybe making out in the back of my truck like we were teens again, was going to have to be a decent date.
I walked around the front of the house and knocked on the door, flowers in hand, wondering why I felt so damn nervous. It wasn’t as if Rory and I were new at this, but it still felt pretty damn new.
“I’ve got it!” Cameron’s voice called from the inside of the house, and my lips twitched as she opened the door. She had had on a full face of makeup but still looked her age. The glitter lip gloss helped.
“Oh good, you’re here. She’s all ready to go.”
“I’m ready for what?” Rory asked as her eyes widened at the sight of me.
“What? What are you doing here.”
“I’m kidnapping you, of course.” I handed over the small bouquet to Cameron, whose eyes widened as Alice ran up.
“Do I get one too?” she asked.
“Alice,” Rory muttered, but I just grinned.
“You do.” I handed over the small bouquet to her before holding out the larger one for Rory.
“What do you think? I thought my girls could use some flowers.”
“Brooks,” she muttered as her eyes filled, taking the bouquet in her hands. She pressed the petals to her nose and inhaled.
“They’re beautiful.”
