She doesn't fully know what she's doing but her confidence is admirable. She's reluctant to accept my assistance, but by the third botched pancake, I have her accepting my help. We work together and end up with a hefty stack of pancakes ona plate. Chloe climbs down from her chair and I carry it over to the dining room table before setting everything else out for breakfast. I help her into her seat and give her a smile before putting a pancake on her plate.
“Thank you for your help, Chloe,” I smile at her and put some food on my own plate.
“You welcome,” she says in her soft little kid voice, offering me a kind smile. I laugh at her words and she gives me another look before she starts to eat. She doesn't dare tell me how good they are, but I don't think they would taste as good as they do if I wouldn't have had her help. She's like a mini Ella who encapsulates all the good pieces of her. She told me she wanted to raise her daughter to be strong and fierce and I think it's safe to say she is succeeding.
After breakfast, I help Chloe get into the outfit she picked out and we head into the bathroom for her to finish getting ready. She's extremely independent and insists she can brush her teeth herself. I stand in the doorway, watching her as she proves herself right and manages to get it all done independently. The only thing she asks me for help with is to get the lid off the toothpaste and to squeeze the perfect amount onto the bristles for her.
Chloe grabs a brush and attempts to get through her tangled locks. I can see the frustration on her face as she tries to stretch her arms to get the back of her head. She misses a few of the knots and the defeat hangs in her shoulders before she turns to look at me. “Co, help!”
Her question catches me off guard while simultaneously making my heart constrict in my chest. “Of course. Let me see the brush.”
She hands it to me and comes to stand in front of me to brush her hair. I try to do it as gently as possible and it takes a little longer than it should, but we manage to brush through all the knots and then I end up trying to pull her hair back into a pony tail so it's out of her face. It's the first time I've ever done it, but I don't think it looks too bad.
Chloe looks in the mirror, turning her head from side to side. “My momma do it he-uh,” she tells me, pointing up toward the top part of the back of her head. “Dis okay.”
“I can try and fix it.”
She smiles and shakes her head. “All done.”
I smile at her, accepting it as it is and we head out of the bathroom to the living room. I glance at the watch on my wrist, internally cursing when I realize what time it is. I had a mile long to-do list for today and am supposed to meet with one of the owners of the mares I’ve been training.
My phone is sitting on the coffee table and I pick it up, noticing I have three missed calls and a few text messages. I forgot to call him earlier in the whirlwind of Ella leaving.
The missed calls are all from Cade so I quickly call him back, letting him know that I got tied up at Ella’s but will be at the ranch soon and that Chloe’s tagging along. There’s a text from Wyatt, saying he tried to get ahold of Ella to tell her he’s on his way to the hospital.
I quickly text him back to let him know that I’ll text her. When I text Ella, she quickly responds, letting me know she already talked to him. She sends another thank you after I let her know Chloe’s going to the ranch with me.
“Okay, Chloe, we need to find your shoes so we can go do some fun stuff.”
Her eyebrows pinch together. “Wike what?”
I didn't really think this through.
“Do you want to go see some horses?”
Her face lights up and she nods eagerly. I don't know if she really knows what she's agreeing to, but she doesn't give me any issues as we find a pair of little boots and she slides her feet into them. I check my phone to read three more messages I missed before we leave the house. There’s one from Cade, saying he got the owners to reschedule and there's two from Ella.
Ella
Thank you again for watching Chloe. I hope she is being good and I left her car seat on the front porch in case you need to go anywhere. She'll tell you what she needs and doesn't need, but let me know if you have any issues. She usually takes a nap around two, but she's been fighting it a lot lately.
Also, Iris is doing really well, so I can come home whenever you need me to.
I smile, reading over her messages twice. I ask Chloe if she has a bag she takes along and she nods before walking over to the front door and grabs a backpack. I open it up, finding some snacks packed inside, along with extra clothes and anything else she might need.
Is there anything we need, other than what is in the backpack?
And take your time, please. We're going to the ranch for a little bit, but I will make sure to have her home for nap time.
Ella
The backpack should have everything.
Thank you, Cole. You're amazing and I seriously owe you.
Cole
I'll see you when you get home.
