Page 130 of Halo

I casually stalk over to her desk, checking out her pens, the fluorescent sticky notes in the shape of a star, and a brightly-decorated bulletin board that hosts important school information. Tucked between the district calendar and the cafeteria menu for the week are a handful of personal photos. The girls posing outside of Six Flags. Lizzie holding a baby alligator with Julian. A deeply-tanned Chelsea and Julian sitting across from each other at a candlelit table on the beach in Barbados.

I’m halfway past a picture of the twins with their arms around each other at their birthday party last year when my eyes snag on something in the background.

And smile.

Almost out of frame is Leah in my arms on the dance floor, her head thrown back laughing. I can almost hear that moment all over again, the scent of her skin, the feel of her nestled perfectly in my arms—back when I knew she was meant to be in them. But what catches me off guard is my own expression. So carefree and relaxed.

So happy.

"What do you think you're doing?”

“Jesus, Chelsea …” I jerk away.

She laughs, holding up her hands. “Sorry! I thought you heard me walk in.”

I rub my chest, pretending to be out of breath. “You're going to give me worry lines.”

“Good. It's about time we mangle up that mug of yours.”

We share a laugh as she grabs a stack of worksheets from her desk and starts laying them out for her students.

“So I've gotta know.” I lean against the edge of her desk. “What the hell is a Yes Day?”

“Ah, it's exactly what it sounds like. Hold on.” She grabs a book from her classroom library called Yes Day! byAmy Krouse Rosenthal and hands it to me. “It’s based on this. It's a cute little story where the parents establish a day where they have to say yes to whatever the kids ask.”

I raise an eyebrow, flipping through a couple of pages. “Whatever they ask for?”

“Within reason, obviously. Nobody’s buying a pony or setting the house on fire.” She laughs. “The whole idea is that kids hear no all the time. No candy before breakfast, no jumping on the bed, no staying up late. So for one day, they get to hear yes.”

“And you do it with your students?”

“A very watered-down classroom version. On their birthday, they get a few special requests as long as they don't disrupt learning and don’t break school rules.”

“Huh. Clever.”

“You know?” She taps the cover in my hands. “Leah introduced me to this book when she student taught with me.”

A smile tugs at my mouth. This sounds exactly like something Leah would do. She probably doesn’t even realize how many of these little moments her kids are going to remember years from now.

Chelsea tries to conceal her smile. “So … how are things going with you two?”

Heat swirls up my neck as a dopey grin pulls at my mouth. “Good, um—” I chuckle nervously. “She’s … really good.”

Chelsea watches me for a moment, and whatever she was about to tease me with seems to disappear. “You really care about her, don’t you?”

The question catches deep in my chest. I blow out a heavy exhale. “Yeah,” I admit quietly. “I do. I really, really do.”

“Listen, if you repeat this, I'll deny it.” She chuckles sardonically, her expression softens. “You are so good for her, Nick.”

I glance up at her, giving her a curious look.

“Hey, what’d I say?” She holds up her finger like a weapon. “I swear I’ll deny it.” We share a chuckle before she continues. “I know we give you shit all the time, but I hope you know we see you, Nick. We know how big your heart is.”

I shift the book between my hands, suddenly uncomfortable with where this is headed.

“My husband makes friends with everybody—you know that. He could walk into a gas station for a Coke and come out with three invitations to dinner.” Her mouth curves. “But there’s a difference between people Julian knows and people he lets get close. He keeps good people with good hearts close—and believe me, it's not easy.” She reaches over and squeezes my arm. “You’re one of them.”

I swallow, looking down at the book again because apparently Chelsea Santiago has decided to make me emotional in the middle of her second-grade classroom.