Page 26 of Bound

We both gave her the biggest hug. “Let’s get you dressed.”

“Where are we going, Mommy?”

“If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise.”

She smiled wide.

“Pick out what you want to wear on your birthday.”

She reached for a pair of hot pink leggings and a long-sleeve tee with a unicorn on it.

“Perfect. Should we put your hair in a ponytail?”

“Yes.”

After getting ready, we met Damon, who was already downstairs waiting for us. Taking her by the hand, we walked outside to the SUV where we buckled her in the booster seat and loaded in the car for the ride to the horse stable.

“Did you ever picture yourself having a child’s seat in your car?” I asked Damon jokingly.

“Not until I found you, and then she came into my life.” He griped my hand and kissed it.

We arrived at the horse stables. And Rose noticed immediately. “Horses!” she screamed with excitement. “Oh my god!”

She brought pure joy to Damon and I both. I hoped her innocence would never be tainted.

“Hi. I’m Linda. You must be Damon and Kara.” She shook both of our hands.

The horse instructor then looked at Rose. “And you must be the birthday girl.”

“Yes!” Rose jumped up and down.

Just her excitement made me so happy.

“Do you want to ride a horse?”

Rose looked to Damon and I. “Can I please?”

Damon ruffled her ponytail. “Of course. It’s why we brought you here.”

I bent down to Rose’s level. “Make sure you listen to Miss Linda and follow what she tells you, okay.”

“I will. I promise.”

“Go have fun.”

Damon crossed his arms and looked on at his daughter. “She seems to enjoy it. It’s a good thing, because if she didn’t, one of us would have to take riding lessons.”

“Yeah, because you jumped the gun and bought her the dang horse.”

“I know.”

“This will be one of the birthdays she remembers. It’s a big gift and since she isn’t in school this year, she doesn’t know a lot of kids to have over for cake and ice cream.” Since we agreed to enroll her into public school for the next year, I knew she would make a lot of friends to have over on her next birthday.

After her lesson, she rushed over to us. “That was so much fun.”

Damon bent down to her level. “How would you like to come here every week to ride that horse?”

“Can I?”

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