Page 8

CAROLINE

“ Chloe, love, please put that down.” Callum holds up both hands, his eyes pleading.

The moment I see the camera in Chloe’s hands, my heart stops. It’s Callum’s newest and most expensive yet. He hasn’t even used it outdoors and only takes it out of its case sparingly. Our three-year-old clutches it, her sticky fingers smudging the lens.

“Sweetheart, can you give Mommy the camera?” I ask slowly, my voice soft but firm.

Chloe’s big brown eyes sparkle as she hugs the camera to her chest and giggles. “No, no! Mine!”

Behind me, I hear Callum suck in a sharp breath. He steps forward cautiously, as if negotiating a hostage situation. “Chloe, love, that’s Daddy’s special camera. Let me hold it, okay? I’ll get you something else to play with.”

Chloe considers it for a few seconds, tilts her head, and then shakes it. “No. I take picture!”

For the first time since I’ve met him, Callum shoots me a panicked look, and I bite my lip to keep from laughing. This shouldn’t be amusing to me. “Chloe, that’s really, really important to Daddy, okay? Now, why don’t you give it to me, and we can go play in the park?”

She scrunches her nose, considering my offer. “We take picture there?”

I nod repeatedly. “Yes! We’ll take pictures with my phone.”

“Mommy will also buy you chocolates. You know, the egg-shaped ones,” Callum offers.

I glare at him because chocolates mean a later bedtime for Chloe, but Chloe’s face lights up at that, and she grins. “Egg chocolates!”

“Egg chocolates. Now give it to Daddy, and we’ll go to the store.” Callum’s voice is so full of desperation that I let it go. Chloe can have her chocolates … only for today.

After a long, agonizing moment, Chloe toddles over and hands him the camera. Callum grabs it quickly before she changes her mind, his shoulders sagging. “Thank you, love.”

But Chloe’s already running to her bedroom, grabbing her favorite bunny stuffed toy to bring to the park and convenience store downstairs. We watch her with a mix of amusement and relief.

Callum sets the camera back to the topmost shelf and slides his arms around my waist before nuzzling my neck, his chest against my back, his breath warm against my skin. “Babe, you’re quite a handful, so I guess the universe thought it would be so funny if they amp up my stress levels and give me a daughter who’s an exact copy of you.”

I burst out laughing. “You have your work cut out for you.”

He nuzzles deeper, tickling me and making me giggle. “I don’t mind, though. I have the best girls.”

“Yes, you do.” I turn around in his arms and kiss him soundly. “And we’ll remind you of that every single day.”

The End

Thanks for reading!