Sera giggles, and Liam winks.
“Ready … set … go!” he yells.
She toddles forward, determined, and he jogs beside her, cheering like she’s winning an actual race.
I follow behind them, watching the way he adjusts his stride to hers. Then the way he claps when we reach the playground. And the way he looks at her like she’s the most important thing in the world.
Sera makes a beeline for the slide.
“Up!” She points to the stairs.
Liam looks at me. “You good with this?”
I laugh softly. “I think she’s safe.”
“Okay,” he says, lifting her and setting her on his shoulder. “Let’s do this.”
He climbs up the stairs with her, then sets her at the top of the slide.
“You good?” he asks her.
She looks back at him, huge smile on her face. “Watch me go!”
“I’m watching,” he says, smiling.
She slides down, squealing.
I’m waiting at the bottom to catch her. Again. And again.
By the fourth time, he’s laughing. Then by the sixth time, he’s completely wrapped around her finger. And by the eighth time, I realize I’m smiling so much that my cheeks hurt.
Eventually, we make our way to the pond, and Sera runs off to terrorize some ducks.
Liam and I sit on a nearby bench, close enough to watch her, but far enough that she can’t hear our words.
“She’s fearless,” he says with pride.
“That she is.”
“I think she gets that from me.” He winks at me.
“Oh, yeah?” I smile.
“Definitely.” He nods.
We watch Sera chase ducks, giggling when they waddle close to her.
“She’s pretty amazing,” Liam admits quietly.
“Yeah, she is.”
“I hate that I missed so much.”
“I really am sorry,” I whisper.
He shakes his head. “I’m not saying that to make you feel bad. It is what it is, but I don’t want to miss anything else, you know?”
Emotions swell in my chest. “You won’t. If you want to be here, you can be.”
