“Put mine on, Pop.” Kade lifts his sleeve and holds his wrist out for her to do the same to him.
“Now we’re twins,” she says, holding her wrist next to Kade’s. They both have the same yellow bracelet covered in different-sized horses. “I can’t wait to show these to Lollipop.”
“She’ll love them,” Kade says. “Thanks for getting this for me.”
“You’re welcome. Can we go see Miss Serena?”
I sigh, scanning the market to find her usual booth set up in the corner. Purple fabric hangs from the top of the tent with people gathered underneath.
“Sure.”
Her head bobs through the crowd as she makes her way to Serena’s stand. Meanwhile, Kade’s eyes are still staring at the cheap piece of plastic on his wrist.
“You okay?” I nudge his shoulder with mine.
“No one’s ever gotten me anything like this before. It just…it means a lot. Coming from Poppy.”
Tears well in his eyes when he turns to face me. I want to wrap him up in my arms and show him just how much he means to me. The fact that he already loves our daughter this much means more than I could ever say to him. All because she thought of him and their time together.
“You’ve done a good job with her, Pres. She’s the best kid.”
“She has a lot of you in her too. That adventurous side? That’s all you.”
“Well, well, well. Isn’t this quite the reunion?”
That voice. It dumps a bucket of water over us. Kade stiffens next to me as I turn to face Paul. My ex. Well, hopefully soon-to-be ex.
“What are you doing here?” I bite out.
He holds up a plastic bag in his hand. “Had to get a few things. I’m still allowed to come into town, right?”
Even for a Saturday morning, Paul looks slimy. In dark pants, a sweater, and a peacoat, he looks like he’s going for a meal at a steakhouse instead of the farmers’ market.
“I’ve never once seen you here.” I cross my arms. Every nerve is standing on end.
Why the hell is Paul here? In all the years we were married, he never once came to the market. It’s something Poppy and I do together. Paul thought it was a waste of time to come here for food when we could just go to the store.
Paul smiles at me and I fight the urge to cringe. “I was hoping to bump into you here.”
“Why?”
“To talk some sense into you.”
Kade takes a step toward him, but I pull him back. “Don’t.”
“Is he your guard dog now?” Paul nods at Kade. “Your dad never liked him.”
“What did you want to talk about?” I ignore his comments. It’s no use rehashing the past with him. I want to get away from him before Poppy sees him. He ignores her, not even wanting to talk to her on the phone. I don’t want her to feel rejected by the man she thinks is her father.
“Give me the company, Presley. It’s in everyone’s best interest.”
“And if I don’t?”
“You know what will happen. Or you can come back tome and we can put all of this behind us. I’m on her birth certificate. I’ve raised her. That means something here in Pinecrest. I was never absent.”
“She’s not yours,” Kade growls. “No court will ever give you custody of her.”
That same sleazy smile gets even bigger on his face. “And yet, it’s my name on the birth certificate. I think that will be hard to contest.”
