“They will.”
“Know who you sound like?”
His noble nose wrinkles for a split second before he hits me with another grin. “Fascinating.”
“What?”
“You haven’t once saidyoudon’t want me to come along.”
There’s an unfortunate reason for that. And it’s not the reason I give him. “I’m being polite.”
He smiles broader.
I put a hand to Hallie’s shoulder and pull her to a stop so I can zip up her coat over her knight costume, which is probably unnecessary but still gives me something to do. There’s maybe thirty minutes of daylight left. We could walk to the tea house, but Hallie loves riding the city buses, so I have bus passes for both of us ready.
Sweet Pea stretches the leash as far as it will go until she’s in a little flower garden that’s devoid of flowers this time of year, peesin it, then sniffs around for a minute before finding a spot to squat and drop a tiny load as well.
Fletcher cleans it up without flinching, sanitizes his hands, and gives her a treat. “Good pup.”
She pants up at him with utter adoration in her eyes while he rubs her little body.
“Fetcher come to tea,” Hallie says again. “Pwease, Aunt Gow-die?”
Oh god.
She pulled out thepwease.
And it suddenly hits me that I’m leaving and I won’t see her for months. We’ll do video calls, but I don’t know the next time I’ll be in Copper Valley. Silas says he’ll bring her to visit me during the Pounders’ bye week if I find a cool place for them to stay in the city, but that’s wishful thinking.
For as relaxed as Brittany is about letting our family hang out with Hallie regularly, she gives off strongyou are not ever taking my baby more than twenty-five miles from mevibes.
Not that you can blame her.
Silas adores Hallie, but he’s not always the best at respecting boundaries.
Or sometimes being an adult.
Letting him get on a plane to another country with her? I doubt that’s happening.
And I’m not coming back to Copper Valley for anything more than to grab my car and load it up when I get back from London.
So I truly have no clue about the next chance I’ll have to hang out with my niece.
“Pwetty pwetty pwease?” Hallie says.
Dammit.
My eyes get hot.
She could be saying herr’s and herl’s clearly every time the next time I see her in person.
This could be the last time shepwetty pwetty pweases me.
“Is that truly what you want for your birthday?” I ask her.
She nods.
And I cave.
