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"I heard that."
"Mommy says he's a hero. He protects people. I want to be a soldier when I grow up," Leo declared. "Then I can fight with my dad."
His heart squeezed at the words that seemed to imply more than just a childhood dream occupation, but a desire to spend more time with his father. He'd felt that way about his missing mom. He'd adored his father, but he'd missed having a mother. He had a feeling that Leo might have some of the same emotions in reverse.
"What does your dad do?" Leo asked. "Is he a soldier, too?"
"No. He traveled all over the world taking pictures and writing books."
"I like to take pictures with Mommy's phone," Leo said.
"Actually, he's not supposed to use my phone to take pictures," Chloe interrupted, giving her son a pointed look as she entered the room.
Leo just laughed, which made Chloe smile.
As she turned to him, he felt the warmth of her smile wash over him. It felt good—too good. He got to his feet. "We should get going."
"Yes," she agreed. She grabbed a sweatshirt off the bed for Leo. "You need to put this on."
"I'm hot," Leo protested.
"You won't be hot when we're outside." She got Leo into his sweatshirt and then they headed out to the garage to get the bikes.
She had a small trailer for Leo to sit in that attached to the back of a bike.
"That's cool," he said. "I was thinking you just had an extra seat."
"This works better. Leo is more comfortable, and I'm more stable."
"I can pull the trailer."
She hesitated. "If you wouldn't mind. It is a little heavy."
"I'm happy to get extra exercise. I'll be careful," he added, wanting to drive the tiny worry lines off her face.
"I'm sure you will be. There's not much traffic between here and the bike path. Just a couple of stop signs, and then we'll be off the street."
Despite Leo being in the carrier, she put a helmet on his head and on herself. She handed him an extra. "This is Kevin's. You probably don't want to wear it, but Leo will ask you a million questions about why you're not wearing it."
"I'm fine to wear it," he said, although it felt a little weird to put it on. Not because he had anything against wearing a helmet, but because it belonged to her ex-husband. He felt like he was stepping into the guy's life. That was stupid. Kevin probably hadn't worn the helmet in years. If he was encroaching on anyone, it was probably Joel, something he needed to remember. But Joel had set this ride up, so he was just going to enjoy it and stop thinking about it.
Chloe took a deeper breath, feeling better when they reached the bike path. While the streets had been fairly quiet, she could never really relax until they were on the designated trail. She flung a quick look over her shoulder. Decker gave her a smile and a nod. So, she turned her attention to the path that led through thick tall trees and wound around the lakeshore.
It was a gorgeous afternoon, the temperature in the low seventies, which was warm for early April. The sky was a brilliant blue. The snow-topped mountains adding to the picture-perfect view. She'd ridden this path a million times, and yet there were still days like today when it amazed her. She hoped it was amazing for Decker as well, although she could hear Leo babbling away and Decker occasionally answering back. She hoped Leo wasn't being too annoying. Her son had an incredible imagination, and he loved to share any idea that came through his head. Decker seemed to take it all in stride. He had an easy way with kids, something Joel hadn't really shown.
Joel was sweet to Leo, but they didn't engage very much. They didn't play together. Joel never really got down on Leo's level like Decker had done in his bedroom. But it wasn't fair to compare. She had deliberately kept Joel a little away from Leo, wanting to make sure their relationship was going to be something before her little boy got too caught up in it.
But she didn't want to think about the future right now. She just wanted to enjoy the day.
They rode for another fifteen minutes, until the path ended at a beach in a pretty cove called Waller's Bay after Edith Waller, who was once the mayor of Whisper Lake and whose house still stood on the nearby hills above the bay. She came to a stop and hopped off her bike.
"End of the road," she said as Decker put his feet on the ground.
"I want to go to the beach, Mommy," Leo said.
"I'm not sure we have time." She looked at Decker. "I know you wanted to look at the train. We can get to it through one of the paths we passed about a mile back."
"There's plenty of time for that. I'm happy to take a break on the beach. Can I let Leo out?"
