I choked over the affection. “Thank you. For everything. I couldn’t do any of this without you. I don’t know how I could ever repay you.”
She brushed her thumb under my eye. “Love is on the house.”
Everything swelled and rushed. “Thank you for teaching me that. What it means.”
“It’s who we Coopers are.”
I swiped a tear that got loose from my eye. “And now that I’m crying, thank you very much…” I drew out, forcing as much lightness as I could into it.
I blamed it on the whirlwind that was Ryder, all these emotions that were simmering at the top.
“Sorry about that.”
“No you’re not,” I told her around a grin.
Her laughter was easy. “You’re right. I’m not. I’ll forever be telling you how great you are.”
Sniffling, I turned back to the living room that was a complete disaster.
Ryder was right. My son was nothing but a tiny tornado.
“You’d better pick up your toys if you want to go to Ryder’s house.”
Kayden jumped into action, running around and tossing all his toys back into the bin. “Watch me. I fast, Mommy.”
“Hmm, someone sure loves that Ryder, don’t they?” Mom mused from behind.
Yeah, we definitely did.
“He spoils him rotten, that’s why.”
“Only because someone loves Kayden, too.”
More moisture threatened at my eyes, but I bit it back. The last thing I wanted was my mom to pick up on the scent. She would hound me until I confessed, and I was most definitely not ready for that.
“All done!” In victory, Kayden threw his arms into the air. “We go right now.”
He came bounding my way, and I scooped him up, laughing with a flurry of emotions.
Happiness and anticipation and the flutterings of fear because I was afraid I might be a fool for allowing myself to feel any of these things.
But I didn’t want to put up walls.
Didn’t want my questions and insecurities and the what-ifs to steal the seeds of joy that had just begun to sprout. “Well, I guess we are out of here since someone is really super fast.”
“Me!”
“You two have fun tonight. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Mom handed me Kayden’s bag, and with a wave, we were heading down her sidewalk. I buckled Kayden in, my son babbling on about his day, how he’d played with the hose in the backyard, his little hands animated, grin and dimples so sweet. “I got aww wet.”
“You got all wet?”
He giggled and kicked his feet. “Gammy spray me, Mommy!”
“She’s a stinker.”
“No, I a stinker.” He squished up his button nose, making little snorting noises.
“The best little stinker around.”
I shut his door and climbed into the driver’s seat, eased out, and drove down her quaint street. The long branches of the trees stretched out over the road, nearly touching. Glittering rays of light broke through the crown, tossing the afternoon in a cover of peace.
I came to a stop at the stop sign at Manchester before I pulled out onto the main road and wound the rest of the way to Ryder’s neighborhood.
It took all of five minutes for us to make it there, and I pulled into the spot behind his car and was quick to get Kayden out. I tossed the strap of his bag over my shoulder and started up the walkway with my son attached to my hip.
I was climbing the porch steps when something stalled me. When a feeling crawled over me, lifting the hairs at the nape of my neck.
Slowly, I shifted to peer over my shoulder, eyes moving over the street. Riding over the houses that sat farther back from the road and the lines of dense trees that gave each of the lots privacy.
More of the late summer afternoon peace hung in the air. Birds chirping as they flitted through the branches and a calm that whispered on the light breeze.
But it was hard to hold onto it when I went to the door and unlocked it.
Because it didn’t matter that I saw no movement or anything out of place.
I was sure we were being watched.
TWENTY-SEVEN
DAKOTA
I stepped into the sanctuary of Ryder’s house and closed the door behind us. The turn of the lock was enough to shut out the unsettled feeling that had followed me, my thoughts instantly jumping toward the man when I was hit with the smell of onions and garlic that wafted from the kitchen.
My stomach rolled in a tumble of nerves and excitement.
“Down, Mommy, down!” Kayden wiggled in my arms, and I set him on his feet, his tiny shoes a thunder on the hardwood floors as he raced that direction.