“All right, pumpkin,” I say softly,“I think it’s time for bed.”
Mia shakes her head dramatically.“I’m not tired, Mommy!”
A giant yawn immediately follows, betraying her.
The room bursts into quiet laughter.
After tucking Mia under her blanket, her curls spread across her pillow like a halo, I slip out, closing the door softly behind me. I pad down the hall to my room, still hummingSilent Nightunder my breath. I push the door open… and stop.
A single wildflower rests on my pillow.
Three pink petals. One white.
Simple. Delicate. Perfect.
Its stem is wrapped in a small piece of paper.
My chest tightens as I step forward, lifting it with careful fingers.
I unfold the note, breath caught somewhere high in my throat.
My hand trembles as I turn the note over.
My heart races, my chest somehow warms without my consent. This man is scaring the shit out of me, because I feel the walls I so carefully built around my heart thaw, and I can’t let him do that.
Family and friends always making me feel wrong, not enough, has thought me that there is a price to pay for love, for trust… so I refuse to put myself in that position. Kevin cheating on me, being cruel to me, and not caring about Mia broke my heart. But Ethan… he has the power to break my heart, soul, andmind until there’s nothing left of me.
I can’t let that happen.
Still, something inside me doesn’t want to let go of the note and the flower. So I pick up a book Penny gave me and tuck them inside.
CHAPTER 10
Summer
It’s been three days since we came to the ranch, and Mia is in love with this place. The Hawthornes have been so good to us. She loves the horse rides with Grace, the Disney movie nights with Lily and Josh, and the dinners with the entire Hawthorne clan almost every night. And when Ethan comes over, I always end up finding one of his notes with a wildflower on my pillow.
I still don’t know how to feel about him… part of me wants to tell him to stop, to back off, while another small part of me likes the way his words make me feel. No one has ever made me feel so… seen.
We wash up and make our way downstairs for dinner. Cas, Penny, and Jude are already here.
“Summer!” Penny exclaims, looping her arms around us.“How are you?”
I smile.“We’re okay. Mia was just telling me about the Christmas pageant, she’s going to be an angel.” I look down at a beaming Mia.
“You’re going to be the best angel ever!” Cas adds, grinning. He ruffles Mia’s hair, making her giggle.
Jude just nods, then looks down at Mia. A small smile appears on his face, the only times I’ve ever seen him smileare when he sees Mia or when she says something that makes everyone laugh.
“Hi, Jude,” Mia chirps.
“Hey, pumpkin,” he murmurs, his smile widening just a little.
I walk into the kitchen while Grace scoops Mia up.“Come on, let’s make some dough monsters!” she teases, holding the rolling pin like a sword.
The air smells like roasted herbs and warm bread, cozy and grounding, wrapping around me like a blanket.
“Careful, it’s hot!” Lily calls, giving me a quick smile.
