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But Hailey was only getting started.
One by one, Hailey pulled up a member from the audience and made up a scene for them to perform. It was like a game, or maybe an improv class. Sometimes, she pulled two people at once. She made August and Roman pretend that they were robbers stealing all her toys from the trunk and she was the valiant cop who had to chase them down and arrest them.
August was always all-in on the scenes and even did a tuck and roll across the living room during the big chase scene. Surprisingly, Roman wasn’t far behind. No matter how grumpy and rough Roman was in real life, when his daughter depended on him for something, he did it with his whole heart, with a smile and all.
Lark seemed as invested as everyone else. She laughed so hard at some scenes, tears glistened in the corners of her eyes. The sound of that laugh had my heart racing and my stomach tightening in ways they probably shouldn’t be.
She was my little sister’s best friend. I’d known her since she was Hailey’s age. I’d never felt these things when I looked at her before.
But since she’d been back in Ember Hollow, she was almost a whole different person. And maybe she was, in a way. What we’d been through these last nine years had changed us. At least we weren’t alone in that anymore.
When Hailey came to pull Lark to the front of the room, I almost stopped her. She was our guest and had no obligation to humor a little kid, but she surprised me by running up to the front with a giddiness I hadn’t seen since she and Thea got tickets to their favorite concert when they were in high school.
I watched, in awe, as Hailey brushed and braided Lark’s hair while singing songs from her favorite Rapunzel movie. In the end, Lark joined in by dancing and singing the most popular song from the movie without missing one lyric.
Lark was stunning. She looked absolutely vibrant with happiness as she picked up Hailey and spun her around in a circle as they belted out the last chorus.
By the time they were done, I wasn’t sure my brain was working anymore. My pulse soared and my skin tingled. My eyes locked on Lark as she took a bow and headed back toward me. I barely noticed the small tug on my shirt sleeve as Lark stood next to me and grabbed her tea.
She took a sip, her eyes catching mine over the rim of the mug. Her skin was slightly flushed, her chest fluttering as she caught her breath from her vocal performance.
“Uncle Reidsy!” a small voice screeched at my side, breaking my trance on Lark. “It’s your turn!”
Shaking my head, I forced my gaze down at Hailey as she tugged on my arm. “Okay,” I said, my voice gruff. I coughed to clear my throat. “Let’s go.”
Following Hailey, I expected her to have me in some kind of heroic scene. She hadn’t had anyone play a prince yet, and I was hoping I’d get that gig.
Unfortunately, Hailey had other plans. I was pretty much screwed when she brought out the hula hoop. I didn’t know she had a hula hoop. Turned out, the scene Hailey envisioned for me was a talented lion tamer and her lion. She made me get on all fours, roar, and jump through her hula hoop.
It was extremely embarrassing, but I did my best to make it look good. I let Hailey boss me around until the very end where I went rogue and pretended to eat her, which made her laugh hysterically as I tickled her ribs. She wasn’t even mad I broke character.
After I’d decided Hailey had enough and needed to catch her breath, this lion got back on his hind legs. My gaze instantly went to Lark…but she wasn’t there.
I frowned. Heading to our standing area, my head was on a swivel as everyone else in the room gave Hailey a standing ovation. I didn’t see Lark anywhere.
She had vanished.
16
Reid
My pulse quickened as I searched for her out in the entryway, but she wasn’t there either. I checked the small den area across the hall and then the bathroom, to no avail. I tried the kitchen, and my heart dropped when it was empty.
I was about to turn around and run upstairs, when my gaze snagged on the back door. It was slightly ajar. Chilly fall air poured into the warm kitchen as I crossed the room and slipped outside.
My chest eased as I caught sight of her. She leaned against the railing of the back porch. Her hands gripped the mug of tea that had to be ice cold by now. She gazed out over the dark rear of the property, her shoulders raising with a deep breath.
I admired her for a moment. She was stunning in that dark green dress that hugged all her curves, reminding me again how very grown up she was. Lark had grown into a beautiful person, inside and out, it seemed.
“What are you doing out here? You’re going to freeze.”
She jumped at my voice, spinning around and almost dropping the mug. “Oh, my gosh.” She pressed a hand to her chest. “You scared me.”
I stepped toward her, trying to decipher her mood. My eyes lingered on her face, on the beauty of those brown eyes. They were bright, but a tiny crease formed between her brows. The elation from earlier seemed to have evaporated from her. “What’s wrong?”
Lark’s cheeks were pink, probably from the cold, and the rosiness on the tip of her nose made her look adorable. I didn’t tell her that, though. I shouldn’t be thinking she was adorable.
Her throat bobbed, and I didn’t miss the way she tilted away from me as I leaned my hip against the railing beside her.
