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“Uh huh. Sure can.” I point at them with both index fingers. “I’ll just…yup. I got you.” I dart up to the cottage, grab a pair of tweezers, load up a sandwich bag with ice, all while screaming at Avery that my brother’s between my best friend’s legs. He doesn’t understand what I mean, but his laughter floats behind me when I fly back down to them, stopping to suck in air when I spot Casey wiping at Charlee’s tears.
It takes Casey all of two seconds to pull the stinger from Charlee’s thigh before he covers her red skin with the bag of ice, looking up at her with a smile while she cracks one lid and releases a shuddering breath.
“There. All fixed up,” Casey murmurs softly.
“Daddy,” Vivi whispers, hugging his middle. She can’t get her little arms all the way around his broad body. “You needa kiss her. Don’t worry, Cha-Cha. They magic, like Queen Elsa.” She pats Charlee’s knee. “You be all better. I pwomise.”
“Oh, that’s, uh…” Charlee’s brown eyes dart to mine, pink heat creeping up her chest and into her cheeks. “It’s o—”
Vivi cuts her off with a finger to her lips. “Shh. Magic kisses,” she insists in a stage-whisper. “Daddy…” Her little brows climb her forehead as her gaze moves between her dad’s face and Charlee’s bee sting.
I watch my brother’s lips press softly to Charlee’s thigh, which should be entirely too intimate for a sister to watch, but instead I’m thinking about Charlee’s words, that my mom is always with us, guiding us to the best things, the lives we’re meant to live. I hope my mom is guiding those three together, because they deserve each other.
Charlee jumps up to her feet. “Uh, well, thanks. I should go—” she jerks her thumbs toward the cottage, “—get dressed, uh, for dinner…” She takes a step and cries out, clutching at her leg.
Casey just chuckles, shaking his head before he bends and scoops her up behind her knees, carrying her bridal style toward the cottage.
“God, they might actually be cuter than you and Ave,” Harper breathes in my ear.
Before I can respond, Wyatt winds an arm around Harper’s head, towing her away in a headlock while she rips at his hands.
“Wyatt! You stupid asshole! Get your grubby hands off me!”
An arm slings around my shoulders, pulling me close. I inhale the familiar scent I love so much, snuggling into my dad’s side.
“You’ve got quite the bunch here, don’t you? Surrounded by lots of love.”
My body relaxes with a happy sigh that feels like it melts away every worry in my head. “I was just thinking the same thing.”
“Happy birthday, princess.” His lips touch my temple. “I love you so much.”
“I love you, too, Dad.”
***
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
Claire
Watching as the last car pulls down the drive Monday afternoon, disappearing through the thick brush of trees, I sink back against Avery’s chest, my hands over his on my stomach.
“That was the best birthday ever.” I turn in his arms and snuggle into him, enjoying the way his broad body swallows mine up. I never want to let him go, because I never want to lose this insane happiness that I just happened to stumble upon. “Thank you so much, Avery.”
Lacing his fingers through mine, we stroll through the cottage. I don’t think cottage is even the right word. It’s a mansion. In the woods. On a pristine lake. Which, by the way, set off one hell of a firework show last night. Vivi just sat there in utter silence, staring up at the sky with wonder while it exploded with color. When it was over, I couldn't tear my gaze off the stars that dusted across the black, the Milky Way shining right there above me.
“I never want to leave here. I could stay forever.”
Avery’s eyes crinkle with his smile. “You wanna take an early retirement? We can move out here. I’ll work from home and travel into Toronto a couple times a month.”
Giggling, I shove his hip with mine. He pins me against the kitchen counter, caging me in with his arms. “Sounds like you’ve given it some thought.”
He lifts a shoulder, looking all too casual. “Little bit. Hard not to think about it when you’re out here.”
“Hmm. But that would never work.”
“Oh? Why not?”
“’Cause I’d never let you leave me,” I say simply, not even caring how needy that sounds, because it’s true. My need for this man makes me feel insane.
