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She put my teddy bear back and grabbed one of the books off the shelves. As she looked at the cover, I said, “I have all the Little House on the Prairie books. Have you read them?”
Piper shook her head as I scanned the titles of books on the shelves. I grabbed one and handed it to her. “This is the first in the series if you want to start reading them.”
She took the book from me and smiled. “Can we read them together?”
My chest tightened with emotion. To be able to share a piece of myself with my daughter meant so much to me. “I’d love that.”
After Piper unpacked her stuff for the weekend, we showed her the rest of the house. “Are you living here together?” she asked.
A knot formed in my stomach as I glanced over at Lincoln. He cleared his throat. “We haven’t sorted all that out yet. Your momma is almost finished with her work here and might be moving back to Charlotte soon.”
Piper whipped her gaze over to me. “You’re going to move away?”
I frowned at Lincoln, who avoided my glare. I hadn’t made my decision, so I wasn’t ready to discuss the situation with Piper yet. “I’m not sure yet, sweetheart. I don’t want to leave, but my job and home are back in Charlotte.”
“Can’t you get a job here and live with Mr. Lincoln?”
I placed a hand on her shoulder. “I wish it were that simple, but it’s not. There’s a lot your dad and I still have to discuss.”
Her face fell as I gave Lincoln another death glare. I rubbed Piper’s back, trying to comfort her. Lincoln darted his eyes to mine then to Piper. “How about some pizza before we head to the carnival?”
Piper’s face lit back up, and she nodded enthusiastically. Seeing her smile erased some of my anger, but I was still going to give Lincoln a piece of my mind later.
After we ate, we piled into Lincoln’s truck to head to the carnival. They’d had one at the end of every summer for all the surrounding counties for as long as I could remember.
“Are you excited?” I asked Piper as we drove along.
“Yes. I love carnivals,” she answered.
“What’s your favorite ride?” Lincoln asked.
Piper pursed her lips, making a humming sound. “I don’t know what it’s called, but you lie down and hold this bar, then they lift you up in the air and twirl you around.”
“I think I know which one you’re talking about—the Hang Glider. It looks kinda like a kite?”
“Yeah, that one!” Piper answered, giggling.
I chuckled. “A daredevil just like her father.”
“Ain’t nothing wrong with that. Right, Piper?”
“Right,” Piper answered, quickly nodding.
I smiled at their exchange. I would love to have more moments like that—just the three of us laughing and having a good time.
Experiencing that happiness made me regret giving Piper up that much more. We could have had thousands of happy memories if I had listened to Lincoln and not my father; if I would’ve had a little more faith in the boy I loved over the man I feared.
After a few minutes of driving, the lights of the carnival appeared.
Piper gasped. “There it is!”
I couldn’t wait to watch her at the carnival—to see her smile and laugh as she played games and rode the various rides—and experience all that with her like I’d done with my parents as a little girl.
Before life had gotten complicated.
By the time we arrived, the parking lot was nearly full. We were able to find a spot toward the far end, and once we parked, we got out and made the long trek toward the entrance.
Piper held each of our hands, walking between Lincoln and me. My eyes met Lincoln’s, and we both smiled. I loved that she was warming up to us and hoped we continued to grow closer the more time we spent together.
