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I suck in a breath and squeeze my eyes close.Shit, Adam’s right.

I didn’t want to believe him when he said it, but I keep living in the past instead of letting myself absorb the present and dream about the future. I can be such a stubborn fool sometimes. I snort as I recall Adam saying exactly that to me as well. That’s something else I need to work on if there’s any hope of me finding happiness in this small town.

I open my eyes, and the creek comes into view. I steer Flight toward the tree close to my favorite spot. When we reach it, I slide off, tie her to a branch, and help Emmie down. I grab the pack of snacks and take Emmie’s hand. “Come on. Let’s go sit in my most favorite spot in the entire world.”

She giggles and skips as we make our way to my rock. “It’s so pretty out here.”

“It is, but that’s not what I love best about this spot. It’s so calming and peaceful. Anytime I was upset or just needed a breather, I’d come out here and this place would wash all my worries away. I think this creek has magical powers. The water flowing from themountains rushes past and takes all of our troubles with it, leaving behind nothing but peaceful bliss.”

Emmie’s eyes widen and her little mouth falls open. She watches the water for a moment, then looks up at me. “I can feel it.”

I smile. “Totally magical.”

I open the pack full of snacks, and smile when I see brownies. “Your grandma knows the way to my heart. She packed my favorite.” I pull out a brownie and hand one to Emmie.

“They’re my favorite, too.” I smile and pull out the bottles of water Rosie included as well.

We eat our brownies in silence and my mind wanders back to my childhood. I had so many great memories on this rock, most of them included Matthew. “You know, I met your daddy for the first time right here at this spot.”

“You did?” Emmie’s eyes light up.

I don’t know why I tell her that, but now that I brought it up, I keep talking. “Yep. We were twelve. He tried to steal my horse.”

Emmie laughs. “Did he get it?”

“Nope.” I grin. “He’d never ridden yet at that point, and well, I was an expert rider. All I had to do was whistle and my horse stopped. Your daddy went flying over my horse’s head and landed on his back.”

Emmie laughs even harder. Matthew’s a great rider now, but back then, he didn’t have a clue. “I wish I could see Daddy fall. Were you mad?”

“Furious. I almost punched him.”

“But didn’t you?”

I shake my head. “He looked like he was already hurting enough. More his pride than his body, I think. After that, we became best friends. We were inseparable until we headed off to college.”

Emmie sighs and leans into my side, winning over a little more of my heart. She’s such a sweet kid. I hate that my problems with Matthew are making her life more difficult.

“I wish you were my mommy.” Her words cause me to freeze.

“What?”

“I know I shouldn’t think that. I had a mommy, but I never met her. She’s not real to me.” Emmie looks up at me with tears in hereyes. “But you’re real, and I like you. And I know Daddy loves you. If you loved him back, you could be my mommy.”

Something I don’t recognize tightens around my heart. Panic is the first emotion to wash over me, but that’s quickly squashed as I realize this little girl has been slowly weaseling her way into my life, and I don’t mind one little bit.

When I look at her, I no longer see everything I lost. I see everything I could have if only I’d choose to trust Matthew again. I no longer feel pain, betrayal, and heartache when I look into Emmie’s eyes. All I see is love and joy.

Something in my expression must upset Emmie because she lets her tears fall. “It’s okay if you don’t love my daddy.”

I pull her into my arms and let my own tears fall. “It’s not that. There’s just … a lot more to it than love.”

She sniffs and wipes her eyes dry. “I know he was supposed to marry you. But then I came along and ruined everything.”

I gasp. I grab her shoulders and turn her so she’s looking at me. “Who told you that?”

The urge to murder someone for even thinking about saying something like that to Emmie consumes me. How dare anyone make this sweet little girl feel responsible for how my life turned out.

“No one. But I have ears, and I’m smart. I figured it out.”