“Right, buddy. Not long at all.”
Chapter 20
Chloe - Seven Months After Chloe’s Birthday
Leo had been giggling all morning.
Not his usual happy chatter, but secretive little bursts of giggles that he tried to muffle behind his hands whenever he caught me looking at him. At breakfast, he’d insisted on helping me pour the cereal, standing on his stool at the counter with intense concentration, tongue poking out as he carefully tipped the box.
“Not too much, just the right amount,” he’d announced proudly, beaming up at me.
“Perfect job, sweetheart,” I’d said, even though there was definitely more cereal than usual in my bowl.
Leo had grinned and then dissolved into giggles again.
Now, as I drove us to the clinic, he was practically vibrating with excitement in his car seat, humming and swinging his legs with barely contained energy.
“You’re very happy this morning,” I observed, glancing at him in the rearview mirror.
“I have a secret,” Leo announced, then clapped his hands over his mouth with wide eyes, as if he’d just revealed state secrets.
“A secret? What kind of secret?”
“A good secret,” he said carefully, peering at me through his fingers. “I’m not supposed to tell you yet.”
“When are you supposed to tell me?”
Leo considered this seriously. “Daddy said I’ll know when it’s time.”
The casual way he said “Daddy” still caught me off guard sometimes. Like it was the most natural thing in the world. “Well then, I guess I’ll have to wait,” I said, pulling into the clinic parking lot.
“You won’t have to wait too long,” Leo said with another burst of giggles. “And Chloe-mama? You’re gonna be SO happy! Like when we found that baby bird and you smiled for like a million hours!”
As we walked into the clinic, Leo practically bouncing beside me, I couldn’t help but smile at his excitement. Whatever Sam had planned – and it was clearly something Sam had planned, given Leo’s references to “Daddy said” – it was making our boy absolutely radiant with joy.
The morning flew by with the usual mix of appointments. Nigel was handling the farm calls today, which meant I could focus on the clinic schedule without worrying about emergency callouts.
Leo sat quietly in the corner, reading to all the animals as they came in. But every few minutes, I’d catch him watching me with that secretive smile, as if he was bursting to tell me something.
Around lunchtime, Sarah poked her head into the exam room where I was updating patient files. “Your man is here,” she said with a smile.
“YES! About time!” Leo shouted from the recovery room, followed by the sound of small feet running.
I looked up, startled. Leo never shouted in the clinic – he was always so careful to be quiet around the animals. What was going on?
I found Sam in the waiting room, looking nervous. He was holding something behind his back, and when Leo spotted me, he ran over and grabbed my hand.
“Chloe-mama! Daddy’s here! It’s time!” Leo announced, bouncing on his toes.
“Hey,” I said. “What are you doing here?”
Sam’s eyes met mine, and I saw love there. And something else – certainty.
“Chloe-mama!” Leo tugged on my hand impatiently, jumping up and down while trying to peek around Sam’s back at whatever he was hiding. “We gotta ask you something really important!”
He rushed over to Sam. “Can we tell her now, Daddy? Please, please, please?”
Sam’s nervous expression softened into something tender and determined. “Yeah, buddy. I think it’s time.”
