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“Sloane says there’s a lot of cute onesies.”
“Bloody hell,” I groaned. “We don’t even know if it’s going to be a boy or a girl yet. And nobody wants my crusty old baby onesies from the nineties.”
She laughed. I wished he could bottle that sound.
“I do, I think it’s cute that they saved them. I bet you were an adorable baby.”
“…a fat baby,” I muttered.
“All babies are fat at first.” She stood, wiggling under my arm as I started the coffee maker. “Humor me.”
“I’ll always humor you, love. Anything you want. Even if it is ratty old second-hand baby clothes.”
I slid his hand over the imagined curve of her belly, marveling at the wonderful secret growing just under his palm. I couldn’t see it yet, but I felt its power all the same. I didn’t believe in children saving marriages or righting wrongs, but if one single good thing could come from the horrific last few weeks, I was going to grasp onto it with every last bit of strength I had. Cassidy leaned her forehead against mine, and I softly kissed her lips. Slow, sweet, and careful, neither pushing nor demanding. The kiss bordered on chaste, but I still tried to show in that one simple touch how loved and cherished she was.
“I love you, Cassidy. I would do anything for you. You know that, right?”
She gave me a funny look. “Of course, I do. I love you too.”
Then why won’t you let me help you? I can’t reach you wherever you’ve gone, and I’m scared.
I cradled her face, brushing my thumb lightly across the faint bruising that was still visible across her face. Trying to swallow back the anger and guilt I still carried, trying not to let it show. Cassidy was already carrying a heavy load, and she surely did not needthatheaped upon her shoulders as well.
My look must have gotten too intense, because her smile wavered. With a squeeze of my hand she pulled away, settling herself back behind her stack of case files. I sighed and turned back to the stove.
“Fuck it.” I threw the spoon back into the pot of oatmeal. “I can’t stand this anymore. Let’s get out of here. Just you and me.”
Cassidy looked up, startled, her eyes wide and blank and unreadable.
I took both of her hands in mine. “Tell me where you want to go, and I’ll take you there, Cass. Anywhere. I need to get you away from this place.”
It was infinitesimal, but I still saw how her face fell. It corrected midair, though, and her eyes found mine, just a hint of that spark I loved igniting again. She stepped into my open arms and laid her head on my shoulder.
“Let’s go to the summer house,” Cassidy said. “I want to go back to where we began.”
