She clutches the front of my shirt with her hands as tears stream down her face. “I-it was a personalised c-cake that r-read ‘h-happy v-vagina stretching day’.” She dissolves into fits of giggles.
When she sobers a bit more, she wipes her eyes. “Ahh, I needed that.”
I chuckle. “I still don’t get it.”
That sets her off laughing again. “Because it was funny, and eating cake in bed reminds me of laughing so hard we almost peed. I never laughed like that again, until now.”
Now I understand, she’s been trying all of this time to chase that feeling of being free and happy, and it’s my job to make sure she does that.
I cup the side of her cheek. “I love it when you laugh, never stop.”
She grins back at me. “I love that you let me laugh so much.”
**********
“Okay, you wanted to learn something new, correct?” I ask Hayleigh as I lead her by her hands, blindfolded, into my workshop.
She smiles. “I did indeed.” I take the blindfold off, and she blinks a couple of times before smiling at me.
“I was hoping to teach you how to make something.” Nerves churn in my stomach. I hope she doesn’t tell me to get lost.
She walks around the workshop, her hands running over the various pieces I have before landing on a small wooden box. She turns to face me. “Could you show me how to make one of these, but a bit bigger? Actually, two of them.”
I nod. “Sure, what’s it for?”
“A memory box for Emmy and Lacey.” Her smile is soft, but then she claps a hand over her mouth, shaking her head.
I point my finger at her. “You know.”
She shakes her head again. “I don’t know anything. A memory of our friendship is what I meant.”
I fold my arms and stare at her.
And it works like a treat; she wrings her hands in front of her. “Okay, I know, but I’m not going to saywhatI know, but I am going to assume it’s what you know.”
“Deal. Although I have no clue what you just said. Now let’s talk wood.”
She sniggers and mutters. “That’s what she said.”
I shake my head at the dad joke, but I smile anyway because I get to teach Hayleigh about something that I love, and maybe she’ll realise how much love I poured into her rocking chair.
How much love I pour into her.
One day I’ll tell her.
Chapter 26
Hayleigh
Hayleigh’s List
· Dance at the movies
· Kissing in the rain
· Do something out of my comfort zone
· Go on a Ferris Wheel
