“Yes, baby?” he asked, rubbing her leg from his chair.
“Everyone stopped to help me.”
He smiled. “They did.”
“B-because they care about me.”
Beau nodded. “They do very much. You’re very loved, Palmer.”
The waitress placed a new chocolate milk in front of her.
“Maybe you can drink this one and not wear it,” Pippi teased.
Palmer grinned, laughing a bit. “I’ll do my very best,” she answered.
“Do you think chocolate milk comes from brown cows?” Sam asked, lifted his wine to his lips.
“Did you know highland cows aren’t used as dairy cows? Even though they can be milked, their production is very small. They’re good for clearing rough terrain, though,” Palmer volunteered.
“I didn’t know that. How fascinating,” Sam answered.
“There’s a blind highland cow that needs a home. Her name is May. Palmer is a bit fascinated with her,” Beau explained.
“May’s not just a cow,” Palmer said with a shake of her red curls. “She’s a coo.”
“A coo cow!” Piper repeated enthusiastically. “That’s so muchcoo-ler!”
“Oh! And did you know highland coos, have really pink noses and tongues?”
Beau smiled proudly. “And in case you didn’t know, pink is my Little girl’s favorite color.”
Chapter Nineteen
Palmer was curled under her blanket, nice and warm. The blanket Beau had given her was tucked under her chin. Her favorite pacifier was tucked into her mouth. A storybook rested open in Beau’s hands as he sat on the edge of the bed reading to Palmer.
He cleared his throat dramatically.
Palmer smiled a little. “You’re silly.”
“It’s important to prepare the audience,” Beau replied. “This is serious storytelling.”
She pulled the blanket up higher, settling in.
Beau opened the soft, blue-colored book and started reading.
When Palmer had seen the brightly colored book, she’d immediately been enamored by a story that talked about non-traditional families. Beau flipped through the pages of the picture book, keeping his voice calm and steady as he read to her.
When he finished, he closed the book and pressed a kiss to Palmer’s head.
“It’s kinda like us, Daddy.”
He smiled. “It is. We built our family.”
“We sure did. I think we did a great job.”
“Me too, pretty baby.”
“Daddy?” Palmer asked, sitting up and shrugging off the covers. Her heart pounded in her chest, but what she had to say was so super important.
