The Resurrection of Wildflowers (Wildflower #2)(39)

“Because I kept her from you. It wasn’t right. Not for her and not to you, either.”

Thayer sighs, leaning back on his elbows and stretching his legs out on the stairs. “I’ve lost out on six years with our daughter.” I wince at that. It’s a punch to the gut but it’s a truth and those are always the hardest to hear. “That fucking sucks, Salem, and yeah, it’s shitty that you kept her from me—but we all have our reasons for the things we do. I can’t go back in time and change your mind, so things work out differently. This is the reality we’re dealing with and I’m not going to waste my time being mad about the past. You’re back, Salem—and that’s a chance I swore to myself I wouldn’t throw away. And that kid in there? She’s a miracle as far as I’m concerned. Let’s not linger on the could-have-beens, okay? I want to move forward—do you want that?”

“So much.”

“All right, then.” He holds his hand out to me. “Let’s shake on it. The past belongs to the past and the future is ours for the taking.”

I slip my hand in his with a wobbly smile. “Ours.”

With his hand still on mine, he helps me up and we head back inside to our daughter.





CHAPTER 26





THAYER





“This is the best spaghetti I’ve ever had, Mommy.” Seda chews on a meatball on the end of her fork.

“I’m happy you like it, sweetie.” Salem eyes the takeout containers in the trash from the dinner I had delivered to her house. My lips twitch with the threat of a smile. I can almost hear her mind spinning from here, wondering why our daughter prefers restaurant spaghetti over something she’d make from scratch.

“Seda,” I say, getting her attention. “What’s your favorite color?”

She wrinkles her nose. “Rainbow, but mommy says that’s a thing not a color, so pink then.”

My heart beats a little faster. Just like I had guessed. It makes me feel good that even from some photos I was able to guess something about her.

“What about your favorite food?”

She sticks her tongue out in thought, but it takes her no time to decide. “Strawberry ice cream. Ooh, Grandma, do you have strawberry ice cream?”

Before her grandma can reply, Salem says, “You already had a cupcake, remember?”

“That was before dinner. It doesn’t count.”

My shoulders shake with laughter. Leaning into Salem, my lips brush her ear. “She really is my kid.”

Her eyes sparkle. “Definitely.”

As we eat, I continue to ask Seda questions to get to know her. I can’t help but smile when she starts turning questions around on me.

“You have a treehouse.” She pushes her empty plate away. “Can I play in it?”

Salem looks at me, worried about how I might react to this question. It doesn’t upset me. If anything, it makes me happy. I think Forrest would like knowing his little sister is as excited about it as he was. “Sure. Yeah. Let’s clean the dishes and you can come over and check it out.”

“Really?” Her eyes light up.

“I want you to see it,” I insist. Beneath the table, Salem’s hand finds my knee, giving it a light squeeze.

Seda can’t clean things quick enough then. She jumps up, helping to clear the table and even tries to do the dishes but Salem helps her when water starts immediately sloshing on the floor. She does let her load the dishwasher on her own.

When the door closes on the dishwasher she starts jumping up and down. “Treehouse now?” Her eyes bounce between Salem and me. I helped get Allie settled in her bed while they cleaned up.

I look at my daughter, never wanting to take my eyes off her. “We can go now.”

“Sweet.” She grins up at me, grabbing my hand. I look down in surprise at her small one wrapped around my larger one.

Seda is so open and loving. She doesn’t hesitate with her affection. I expected her to be shy, maybe even to be intimidated by me. But she’s not. Kids are so much more resilient and accepting than we give them credit for.

Salem turns away, but not before I see the tears in her eyes. I hope they’re good tears.

The three of us walk next door to my house and into the backyard. Seda looks around, taking in all the details. Her eyes grow round with excitement at the pool. “I love swimming!”

Salem senses the fear sliding through my veins.

“She’s had extensive lessons since she was a baby and understands water safety. It was important to me.”

Taking Salem’s hand I give it a small squeeze, silently acknowledging my thanks. She smiles back, but it’s a bit wobbly, and I know she’s thinking about Forrest. That day left a scar on more people than just Krista and me.

Seda runs ahead of us to the treehouse. Her blonde hair is wavy, hanging halfway down her back. I see myself in her, but mostly she’s a mini Salem. Looking at the woman beside me, my heart warms. She’s been through more in her life than most people endure in a lifetime. She’s strong and fierce—a fighter through and through. As much as I wish I could’ve been there for her when she was pregnant, been the man she needed, I think she was right in knowing that I wasn’t capable of it. Not truly, anyway. I imagine I could’ve pretended for a while, but I was so checked out from myself, from life, for a long while after Forrest’s passing. I hate that someone else had to step up to the plate that should’ve been mine, but I’m also so fucking glad she wasn’t alone.