“There are hayrides in Urbium?”
“Don’t ruin the vibe.” She glares at me.
“Sorry.” I’m really not.
“I want to hold someone’s hand as I walk down the hallway at school. I want to sneak a kiss when my teachers aren’t looking. So maybe I should have all those experiences, and then when he decides he’s ready, we can start dating.” Hope wants him to notice her.
“You can do that. And it will probably be fun. But if you do that, all those firsts will be with someone else. And when you’re finally together, you’ll wish they were with him.”
“Do you wish your first kiss was with my dad?”
“More than I could ever say.”
“When you’re married, do you mind if I call you mom?”
Whoa. Where did that come from? “Is that something you want? Because even if I married your dad, I wouldn’t be replacing your mom in his heart or yours.”
“I know that. My dad will always love my mom, and now he’ll always love you.”
“Well then, I would love to be called mom.”
“Yay!!! That means you’ll totally be on my side when I try to convince Dad to let me date.” She gives me a wicked smile as she takes a sip of her coffee.
“Not totally. But I might be able to help soften the blow a little bit. But you should rethink this plan of yours.”
Hope tips her head to the side and tugs on a curl. “I’ll think about it. Maybe I should just ask him what he thinks of the idea. That might be enough.” She pops up. “Thanks.”
Paisley comes running around the corner, stopping hard in front of me. “She’s back. I knew it. I knew she was coming back.”
“Who?” I ask.
“Dash’s mom. Security just let me know she walked onto the street.”
What? No. I turn to Hope and see the shock on her face.
“She can’t be back. Dash belongs with us.” Hope steps forward. “She can’t be back.”
Paisley looks at me.
This is what I was worried about. “Dash is currently with Emilia. I’ll call her. And take care of everything.” How do you take care of a child who’s about to be crushed?
Paisley nods.
I shoot off a text to both Emilia and Max, then turn to Hope. “Honey, this is a good thing.”
“No, it isn’t. Dash belongs with us. He was meant to be my brother.”
If only the world were that easy. “Let me ask you a question. Don’t you think Dash deserves a life with his mother?”
“What if she’s a drug addict? What if she doesn’t take care of him? Dash is really smart. He needs someone who recognizes that. Who is going to teach him sign language and coding?”
This is my fault. I let them get attached to a little boy who wasn’t free. A boy who Paisley knew was going to be reunited.
My heart hurts along with Hope. A little part of me wanted him to be part of my family.
But this is the right thing for him.
Knowing that doesn’t seem to make any difference. “We’ll make sure he’s safe.” That’s part of Paisley’s job, and she does it well.
