“Stop looking so serious,” Cole said, coming up beside me with two coffees in his hands. “You look like you’re waiting for a contract negotiation.”
“I’m waiting for a ten-year-old girl with a duffel bag full of dirty laundry and probably twelve stories that start with you’re not going to believe this,” I chuckled.
Cole laughed. “Fair.”
Catherine smiled, and I had to look away. That smile was dangerous now. Everything about her was dangerous.
Then the doors opened, and a group of kids in camp sweatshirts spilled into the arrivals area with rolling bags, backpacks, and the kind of loud, exhausted energy only kids could have after two weeks away.
“Dad!” Isla ran straight at me.
I caught her hard, lifting her off the ground as she wrapped her arms around my neck. Her hair smelled like sunscreen, airplane, and shampoo. One of her sneakers kicked my shin, and her backpack hit my shoulder, but I didn’t care. My kid was home.
“Hey, Bug,” I said, holding her tight. “Missed you.”
“I missed you too. I only cried once.”
“You cried?” I asked with alarm.
“Just the first night because I missed you,” she said sweetly.
“I missed you too.”
I set her down, and she immediately launched into a story about ziplining, a raccoon named Kevin who may or may not have stolen chips, and how Mila screamed so loud on the ropes course that one of the counselors dropped a water bottle. Mila appeared two seconds later and ran into Jaden with enough force to nearly knock him over.
“Mila!” he yelled.
“Jaden!” They hugged like tiny war survivors.
Holland laughed, Cole shook his head, and Catherine watched them with soft eyes that did something terrible to my chest. Isla tugged on my hand.
I looked down. “What?”
She glanced around, then leaned closer and whispered loudly, “Did you find me a mommy while I was gone?”
Across from us, Catherine’s head snapped up. I side-eyed her before I could stop myself. Her eyes widened. Her mouth pressed together, but I couldn’t tell what she was thinking.
“Isla,” I said under my breath.
“What? You said you’d think about dating,” she said.
“I didn’t say that,” I whispered.
“Yes, you did,” she whispered back.
“I said maybe one day.”
“Now is the day,” Isla continued. I was mortified.
Catherine turned away, shoulders shaking.
I cleared my throat. “We’ll talk about this later.”
Isla narrowed her eyes. “That means no.”
“That means we’re in an airport.”
She looked deeply disappointed in me. I deserved it. A few minutes later, after goodbyes, I loaded Isla’s bag into my car and got her buckled in. My phone rang on the dash. It was Mom, probably wanting to welcome Isla home.