Page 80 of We Three Kings

Hopefully that includes a relationship with us.

She swipes her hands back and forth against one another, attempting to brush away the sticky needles. I’ll have to get her a new pair of gloves since they’ll be ruined by the end of the day from the sap.

“Okay, where to now?”

Her eagerness pleases me too. “Back to the fields.”

With my directive, she starts walking, a definite bounce in her step. Although this isn’t that physically taxing compared to other laborious jobs, she probably isn’t used to manual work since she’s in an office all day. I like that she jumps right in and helps with the tasks.

I nod to Joseph and stride toward her, catching up in a few paces with her short legs. I follow her lead, weeding through the rows. Her focus remains on her mission, and she misses a stump half hidden in crumbling leaves, and stumbles in the grass. I grab her before she falls. “You okay little one?”

Scarlet creeps up her cheeks and down her willowy throat. “Yes, thank you.”

Embarrassed from tripping, she looks everywhere but at me. I let it go but not her. The falter provides the perfect opportunity to hold her hand as we wind through the inventory.

After I finish each cut, I grab her again. I find her looking at our entwined fingers a few times, but she never balks at my touch.

The hours pass by too quickly, and I’m disappointed when we’re on the search for the final balsam. I have to find a way to keep her out here—with me—longer. “Do you want to break for some hot chocolate?”

“Sure!”

Stupid of me to even ask. Already knew the answer.

We make our way to the fire. I’m leading her but I swear she’s pulling me along from her anticipation.

She beelines to the urn and flips the lever to fill two cups while I grab her a sugar cookie loaded with red and green sprinkles.

Tinsel seems to have forgotten the shame from my earlier reprimand and bounds to us. Syncopated fur to jeans with Seraphina as she walks to one of the benches, the dog couldn’t be a better escort. Amused and carefree, she giggles as she sits, carefully balancing the mugs so they don’t spill.

I drop down next to her, accepting a cup she holds out to me, exchanging cocoa for her cookie. As our drinks cool, she breaks off pieces of the treat and feeds them to the pup. He gobbles the bites without tasting them, licking her sticky fingertips in gratitude.

“I’m having the best time. Thank you for bringing me.”

“You’re welcome. I am too.”

Not a lie. Sometimes simple pleasures are the best ones, especially with a girl like her who appreciates them as well.

“When your boys were little did you and your wife bring them here?”

The stab of pain in my chest every time I think of Kiersten never seems to lessen. “Yeah, we did. Balthazar was earnest like you, mulling over several options before deciding. Melchior would run around, going along with whatever we chose. Kiersten was happy just to be out of the house. She was a nature lover and sometimes she would just look up, face to the sun, and breathe deep.”

Seraphina’s bittersweet smile confirms she understands the loss. She grabs my hand and squeezes tight. “She sounds amazing. I would’ve loved to have met her.”

“After she passed, people meant well and said she would want me to move on, to be happy. I didn’t see it for a long time. I was depressed more than I care to admit. I realize now that morphed into loneliness, and I didn’t recognize the difference. But now, I’m not lonely anymore.”

I squeeze her hand back. Her mouth opens and closes but she can’t seem to form the words she wants to say. The good person inside of her wants to deny the truth of the meaning behind my admission. I let the implication settle between us while she pets Tinsel.

“My brother worked hard to take care of me the best he could. He was only a kid too, really. I think that’s why I’ve been so focused on school and then my career because I want to make sure that everything he did for me isn’t wasted.”

I like that she wants to deepen the connection between us by sharing her heartbreak too. “I know he would be proud of you.”

Maybe it’s the open air or the mutual grief or just the bond between us but I don’t think either of us expected a conversation this deep in the middle of our hunt. I don’t mind though. I like getting to know her better beyond what London and Balthazar told me.

“He would be happy that I’m having fun today. He always said I missed out on so much. I hated that he felt guilty since none of it was his fault.”

All the money and power in the world, and I couldn’t save Kiersten from that damn disease. I know exactly why he beat himself up. “That’s what you do when you love someone.”

She scooches closer. Her slender leg shoves against my thick thigh as she leans her head on my arm, not quite able to reach my shoulder. Even without words she comforts me.

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