Page 20 of Yours To Hold
“They really are. But we don’t need them today.”
“No.” Willow shoves the last bite of cereal in her mouth. “You’ll really take me?”
“Of course I will. It can be our very own special day together.”
Her eyes light up. “Just like I have with Daddy!”
“Exactly. Now go get dressed.”
Willow gives me a hug before rushing off.
It’s something that I never got to do when I was her age. At that point, my parents were at each other’s throats, so I escaped to Gemma’s most days.
At least with Willow’s mom gone, I can hopefully give her some special days, even if Mason isn’t around for them.
Grabbing my phone, I shoot a text off to Mason.
Taking Willow hiking…be back later this afternoon
It takeshim a minute to respond.
Mason
Thx
Just like Mason.One-word answer. I shouldn’t let it bother me.
But it does.
God. Why does the man I work for have to be so infuriating sometimes? Wouldn’t hurt him to say a bit more.
“Ready!” Willow chirps.
Tucking my phone into my pocket, Willow’s bright face greets me. She’s now wearing bright purple leggings, a Denver Mountain Lions sweatshirt, and a worn-in pair of hiking boots. It’s hard not to smile at how excited she is.
“You are. Let’s go.”
“Where are we going?” she asks as she climbs into her booster seat and buckles in.
“You don’t like surprises, do you?”
She shakes her head. “Only at Christmas and my birthday. Do you like surprises?”
“I love surprises.”
I point the car in the direction of the mountains and head out. It’s the perfect spring day. Bright blue skies with the first signs of life starting to pop out after a long winter.
“What’s the best surprise you’ve ever gotten?”
“My favorite surprise? I think it’s the camera that my dad got for me.”
Even though he was trying to buy me off after the divorce, I can’t hate it. It introduced me to the one thing in life that will never let me down.
Photography.
And now the chance to make a living with it is so close, I can taste it. Working at the gallery this fall in Seattle is a dream come true.
It’s a short drive from Mason’s to the trailhead. This early in the spring, even though it’s a clear day, it’s virtually empty here. A few people are out, but nothing like the summer busy season.
