The Resurrection of Wildflowers (Wildflower #2)(43)

I smile up at Darla who was always my favorite waitress here. “Hi, how are you?”

“I’m good.” She nods, her eyes bouncing around the three of us. “This one yours?” She points at Seda.

“Yeah.” I grin proudly. “She’s mine.”

“And … Caleb’s?” It’s a presumptuous question, rather rude actually, but I know she doesn’t mean any harm. That’s how people in small town’s are—your business is everyone’s business.

“I assume you mean biologically?”

“Y-Yes?” She stutters it out as a question.

“Then the answer is no. Thayer,” I wave my hand at him, “is her biological father. If everyone must know he wasn’t aware of that until very recently. Caleb is her dad too, he’s raised her, and that’s that.”

I keep my chin high, refusing to cower from these people.

Across from me, Seda’s lips puff out with frustration. “Why do all these old people care who my daddy is? I have two daddies because I’m twice as special as all of you. Now can I have my chocolate chip pancakes?”

And with that statement from her, the volume in the diner picks up as people return to their food and coffee. Leave it to Seda to put people in their place.





CHAPTER 28





THAYER





The situation at the diner wasn’t the best, but Salem handled it like a champ just like she does everything.

Once all of us are full, I take my girls to the local flower shop to let Seda pick out flowers for Forrest’s grave. I expect her to run around excitedly looking at all the pretty flowers, but I’m learning Seda rarely does what I expect. Instead, she quietly meanders the tiny shop, carefully peering at every flower and being careful not to touch.

“You’re smiling,” Salem says at my side. “What are you thinking about?”

Tilting my head her way, I tell her, “That I’m a lucky bastard. I got to have breakfast with my girls—and I fucking love the sound of that. My girls,” I repeat, my smile growing when Salem blushes.

She tucks a piece of hair behind her ear. “You think I’m yours, huh?”

“Think? No, baby, I know. I knew then and I know now—you’re mine in the same way I’m yours. I don’t own you, but you’re my perfect fit—the puzzle piece I didn’t know I was missing.”

Her eyes soften, lips curling into a soft shy smile. She likes what I said and I meant every word.

Up ahead, Seda points at a bunch of flowers. “These.”

It’s a ready-made bouquet filled with sunflowers, eucalyptus, and small purple wildflowers similar to the one I suspect Salem left on Forrest’s grave.

I grab up the bunch and carry it to the checkout counter. “We’ll take these.”

After it’s paid for, I hand them over to Seda for safe keeping.

Salem stands off to the side, watching me interact with our daughter. I can see the guilt in her eyes, the worry that she really fucked things up. I wish I could get rid of those thoughts for her. Because no matter what happened before, we’re here now.

Caleb has her past, but I have her future. That’s all that matters to me.

“Come on, ladies, we don’t have much time.”

We load back into my truck, heading the short distance to the cemetery. We were at the diner longer than I expected and since Caleb is picking Seda up at noon I want to make sure we’re back on time. It irks me to know I have to hand off my kid, but I don’t want to step on Caleb’s toes. I know in the long run it’s better to keep our relationship cordial.

At the cemetery Seda hops out of the truck and stands there stoically. “It’s quiet here,” she whispers.

“Cemeteries are almost always quiet. I guess that’s why they call it the final resting place.”

“Hmm,” she hums. Salem reaches across Seda’s car seat and grabs the flowers, passing them to her. “Can you hold them?” My little girl asks me. “They’re too big for my little hands.” She holds up her hands, wiggling her fingers.

I take the flowers from Salem, surprised when Seda fits her hand into my empty one and her other into one of her mom’s.

Seda doesn’t know me—not really, anyway—but she has such an open loving heart that she doesn’t hesitate to show affection.

The three of us walk hand in hand through the freshly mowed grass. I spot Forrest’s grave up ahead and point it out to Seda.

“That one right there. That’s your brother.”

She looks up at me with big brown eyes—my eyes. I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to that.

“Do you think he would have liked me?” She’s already asked this before. It must be a question weighing on her mind.

“I know he would have loved having a little sister like you.”

“I wish I knew him,” she says softly as we finally reach the gravestone. She lets go of our hands and takes the flowers from me with a grunt. “Here you go, Forrest.” She puts the flowers beside the grave. “I picked these out just for you. They’re so pretty. I hope you like them.” Seda looks up at us for support, like she’s questioning whether or not she’s doing this right. When I nod, she goes on. “I love dinosaurs—my mommy says you loved them too. That’s cool. Do you have TV where you are? You probably don’t, but if you do there’s this show—”