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On the way here, Emmy had counted the light poles along the roadway. There was one hundred and sixty-three that we passed on the right side of the road by her count. Who would have thought there were so many?
I saw Brad off in the distance when we arrived and was surprised when Tonya ran up to us and welcomed us excitedly.
“I’m so glad you came! I’m Tonya. You must be Lauren. We are the same age.” She turned to Emmy. “And you’re Emmy, right?”
Emmy nodded, watching Tonya for a second before her gaze skittered off, and she started studying the backyard. I needed to find something for her to focus on before her anxiety took over.
“Come on. I’ll introduce you to my dad and make sure we can go see the horses. Do you like horses?”
That caught Emmy’s attention like nothing else. She loved animals of all kinds. One of her favorite things to do was go to the zoo or the aquarium. She could sit for hours watching fish swim.
Huh, maybe I should get her a fish tank, I thought randomly as we headed toward Brad, who was working around the grills.
It was great to see him again, even better than I had thought it would be, and I took the moment we were alone to apologize. Only he wanted to say he was sorry. After only a few words, he stepped away, leaving me to stare after him.
Had I ruined any chance with him?
Kayley came toward me, holding Riley’s daughter, Corey, in one arm and two beers in her other hand. “You look like you could use one of these.”
“That obvious, huh?”
“Don’t mind him. He will come around.”
I twisted off the cap and put it to my lips. “What makes you think I want him to come around?”
“No one is that blind.” She grinned.
We chatted for a few moments, and I looked around, trying to find my girls. Brad was talking to Emmy near the horse paddock as she stood on the bottom rail of the fence and held her hand out for one of the horses.
The large animal approached her and took what was in her hand, and Emmy began to pet the horse’s nose. The horse leaned his massive head over the fence, and Emmy let loose a rare giggle and smile as he brushed up against her.
Tears came to my eyes, and I saw Brad laugh and say something to the horse. Emmy kept petting her, and the horse seemed to adore the attention. Oh, man. Now she will want a horse, and here I thought a fish tank would be a good idea.
Brad remained at her side until Tyler climbed up next to Emmy but on the horse's other side. The horse threw his head back and whinnied, and then Tyler laughed. I couldn’t see Emmy’s face, but I had a feeling that smile might still be there.
Tyler said something to Emmy, and then he jumped down and raced away. My daughter turned and watched him go, then hopped down and followed at a slower pace into the barn.
Brad glanced around, made eye contact with me, and waved me over. I didn’t need a further invitation. Inside the barn, Emmy was sitting on a hay bale petting a cat. Scurrying around the base of the hay where Lauren and Tonya were sitting were four tiny kittens.
“Mom! Look at the kittens!” Lauren said excitedly.
“I want a kitten,” Emmy stated in her flat voice.
“I don’t know about that, Emmy.”
Brad grinned at me and said softly as he leaned toward me, “Might be a good thing to have around, especially if you have any residual mice in the house.”
I turned my head, and our faces were only a few inches apart. Oh, how I wanted to kiss that man. “It’s a thought,” I replied before I turned away to keep myself from doing what I wanted.
He chuckled and said, “I have to go cook.”
After telling them to stay out of the horse pen, I left the kids in the barn and spent the next hour talking to different guests at the party.
Coral was there, and she introduced me to her sisters Cara and Carmen. I quickly learned that Cara was a helicopter pilot for the medical team in this area, and Carmen was a child psychologist.
Carmen asked a few questions about Emmy and said that she could help me with any special programs I might need for her. That alone made today worth coming—almost.
The picnic was a blast, and everyone was having fun. From time to time, Brad and I wound up in the same conversation group, and we’d share a look. Once in a while, a touch, but then the other would walk away.
