“Nope,” the little girl replies with a pop, and they walk in silence toward the barn.
“Wow. She just did that,” I say with a laugh. “That’s incredible.”
Gabriel watches his kid with what can only be described as pride in his eyes. “That’s Cece.” His eyes meet mine as we both laugh, in awe of this little girl. “I thought we had all the paperwork done. Is there more?”
“No, but I wanted to give you a chance to ask any questions or tell me anything about how she’s doing today before we get started.”
“You were thorough. It’s why I was able to prepare her so well for today, so I think we’re good.” It’s a nice compliment, but I feel like I’m failing Arthur if I don’t give him a little more time. “And she’s had a good day. Usually, it’s hard to tell when she’s excited about something, but not today.”
“Oh, I could definitely tell. The way she whispered to Pickle? So freaking cute.” I clutch my chest, and Gabriel lets out an easy laugh. He’s certainly different from Arthur, who makes me feel like I deserve a gold medal anytime I manage to get more than the lopsided smirk out of him.
The realization that I want to earn those smiles, though, that’s what sits with me as Gabriel and I walk to the barn.
NINETEEN
kinda gross, but I also kinda like it
Arthur
I watched their entire interaction from the barn. I saw the way Alice carefully let them approach, that Gabriel smiled at her, and she smiled back, how she won over my niece easily, which didn’t surprise me one bit.
And when Cecilia started walking toward the barn with Ro, I saw how my brother laughed easily with the woman who’s occupied most of my thoughts over the last few weeks. The kick to the gut, though? How she smiled and laughed back. How she clutched her chest watching Cece. I saw it then, a perfect little family forming right before my eyes. It’s what my niece and brother deserve, and if it’s what Alice wants, it’s what she deserves, too.
As Cece gets closer, with Rosemary quietly walking alongside her, my nerves amp up. I try to still see her every few weeks when Gabe and I can make it work, but I’m always worried she’ll stop asking to see me. As I step toward the door and she spots me, she takes off in a full sprint.
“Tio!” There’s the smallest smile on her face, and I wonder if it’s being related to me that she gets that from. You gotta work for a smile from Cece, and I’m always willing to. She doesn’t have to work for one of mine, though. Seeing her face is enough to have me grinning from ear to ear.
“Hey, if it isn’t my favorite niece.” She barely comes to a stop before barreling into me, her little arm wrapping around mine in a makeshift Cece hug. When she looks up at me, she rolls her eyes. “Funny seeing you here. I had no idea you were coming.”
“Tio, your dad jokes are even worse than Daddy’s.” She tugs on my hand. “Where’s my horse?” I laugh, leading her into the barn, but not quite to Scout’s stall yet. I know Alice has a plan for introducing her to Scout.
“Cece, you know she’s notyourhorse, right?” I drop onto one knee to get a better look at her. She’s growing so fast.
“I know, I know. But for today, this is my horse to spend time with, right?” This kid is too smart for a five-year-old.
“That’s right. But before you meet Scout, we’re going to get your helmet fitted and show you a few important things. Then you can take a carrot over to Scout, and she’ll probably wanna be your bestie.” I boop her on the nose, and she scrunches it up.
“But Pickle is my bestest bestie.” She hugs the stuffy closer, rocking back and forth a few times.
“That’s right,” I agree. We all know how much she loves this thing. Pretty sure Gabriel has like six or seven as backup in case anything ever happens to it.
“But I guess if Scout is nice, she could be one of my besties, too. Like Daddy, and all the tios, and tias, and Vó and Vô and Bisa.” She seems satisfied after she’s named allof her favorite people, but it makes my chest ache that she didn’t mention her mom. “So, Miss Alice mentioned a helmet. What else do I need to protect myself with before going near a one-thousand pound animal? Daddy said I don’t need gloves to touch horses, and I’ve got my boots on, see?” She stops and kicks out a leg in front of her, showing me her shiny black boots, I’m sure Gabriel had a hell of a time picking out with her.
“Those are perfect boots,” Ro says from next to us. Cece nods, and that tiny smile appears again. As we get her helmet sized and show her the different belts used during therapy sessions, she asks questions about saddles and a few other things. We remind her that, for today, she won’t need them, but I know for her it’s important to understand things and have set expectations.
Alice and Gabriel walk into the barn, talking quietly, and all of Alice’s attention is on Cece. Like she did before, she crouches next to my niece, but doesn’t force eye contact.
“What do you think about the barn so far? Does it smell different in here?” Alice scrunches her nose, and Cece takes a deep breath.
“Yeah, it smells like what I thought a barn would smell like. Kinda gross, but I also kinda like it.” We all hold in a laugh at her answer, because she’s absolutely right. You either love this smell or you hate it.
“That’s a fantastic way to describe it, actually.” Alice chuckles as she moves on to the next thing. “And is there anything you’re curious about in here? There are a lot of new things to see and touch.”
“The helmet was cool. I learned horses need their hair brushed, and I see brushes around. Can I touch them?” The kid’s a natural. It’s like she was meant for this.
“Cecilia, you’re making my job too easy,” Alice jokes. “Can I ask you one more question before we go explore the grooming tools?” Cece nods, looking at Alice’s face for the first time. I can tell she’s studying her freckles, because it’s exactly what I do when I look at her. “Do you prefer to be called Cecilia or Cece?” I’m not sure if my brother is getting all warm and tingly, too, but watching Alice with my niece is making me feel things. I’m pretty sure this is what swooning is.
Do guys swoon?
