Page 39 of Paper Flowers (Stonebrook #1)

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

DAYNA

I t’s Tuesday morning and I’m packing my things to sleep over at Luke’s house tonight.

I think I’ve over packed even though I can just run home and get whatever it is I left behind.

But do I really want to leave? I grab my old college backpack and pack extra heels for work.

I grab my phone to text Luke. It’s still early so I hope he’s home.

How much is too much? I feel like I’ve packed my entire closet.

I put my phone on my bed. A few minutes later, I hear his text tone.

Luke: Pack as much as you need, Baby.

Don’t tell me that, I’ll really bring my entire closet.

Luke: Bring stuff that you can leave here. You’ll have plenty of room in my closet and bathroom cabinets.

I have two bags packed for tonight.

Luke: Love, it’s going to be fine.

Oh my god, Love? Does he know what he’s doing to my heart when he says things like that?

What time are you going to work?

Luke: Sadie Girl just finished brushing her teeth. We’ll be out the door in a few minutes.

I’ll see you soon.

I drive up to the parking lot and I see Luke and Sadie walking towards the office.

I park in the front row of spaces next to Morgan and Mrs. Emily.

I get out of my car and Sadie asks if I’m excited for tonight.

“Of course, I’m excited!” I say to her as I crouch down to eye level with her to give her a hug.

I stand up and interlock my fingers with Luke’s hand.

He puts his sunglasses on his head and I see how blue his eyes are today.

He’s wearing a blue and white plaid button up with navy blue dress pants and brown shoes.

He has on his contacts today and his beard looks so good with his haircut.

The three of us walk in the front office and Luke holds the door for me and Sadie.

Mrs. Emily spots us together and waves to Sadie.

“Good Morning you three!” Hearing her say it out loud makes everything so real.

My heart flutters with a sense of triumph.

This is the first time we’ve walked in together, and I can’t even imagine how it’s going to feel coming to work with them tomorrow.

Luke and I spoke with Morgan about our situation, and she’s fine with everything.

As long as we keep things low-key and avoid a big dramatic breakup at work.

Honestly, even if we did split up, I wouldn’t dream of making a scene.

Especially with all the students knowing I’m already divorced from their psychologist.

Before Luke walks Sadie to her classroom, I stop him before they can leave. Lowering myself to meet her eyes, I hand her the flower I made her last night.

“It’s so pretty, thank you Dayna!” Sadie quietly whispers, her eyes bounce around the room with some hesitation.

“Don’t worry Sweet Girl, you can call me Dayna here.

” I reassure her and give her a hug. She wraps her arms around me and the size of my heart has tripled.

I know her therapy sessions are not her easiest days and I thought maybe this will help her.

Her session with Dean isn’t until later this afternoon and it will be the first one since everyone has found out her dad and I are dating.

Luke was able to talk to Dean yesterday about Sadie’s apprehensiveness of being in a car and the thought of losing someone close to her again. He mentioned how close she’s getting to me and would really like to go into depth about how to navigate her new emotions.

The conversation seemed to go well. He mentioned that Dean acted professionally and assured me there’s nothing to worry about.

Both of them trust him, and I know Dean is skilled at what he does.

But that’s the part that worries me— I know my ex-husband too well.

He’s incredibly calculated, always saying and doing things when it serves his interests.

I just hope, for Sadie’s sake, that he can separate his personal feelings and do his job without any ulterior motives.

Morgan and I have spent the entire morning visiting classrooms and talking to students.

We’ve been helping them with their classwork and checking out their latest projects.

In Caleb Grant’s class, Sadie was the first to raise her hand and show us what she’d been working on.

I couldn’t have been prouder of how confidently she spoke in front of her classmates.

I might be a little biased, but she handled public speaking better than most of the staff here, myself included at Stonebrook Elementary .

“I loved seeing all of your hard work and getting to hear about your favorite holidays. Mr. Grant, you should be proud of these students.” Caleb looks so pleased with his class. “Ms. Evans and I look forward to seeing your artwork in our hallways.”

Morgan enunciated my last name. I got my updated legal documents in the mail, finally! I asked the computer analyst if he could get my email changed and by the end of the day my name was updated on our district website. It felt so liberating. Nothing connects me to Dean Carter any longer.

“We do have a couple more classes to visit, thank you for your time, keep up the great work!” I say to Caleb and his first-grade classroom full of students.

Before I get to the door and walk out, I look back at Sadie and waved to her.

She smiles back and blows me a quick kiss.

Catching it, I wave my closed hand at her.

I love her so much, she makes my day so much brighter.

Walking back to the front office from Kindergarten release, Mrs. Emily lets me know Sadie is with Dean for her therapy session. “They walked back about ten minutes ago.” She says to me, I look at the clock and it’s 1:15 PM. The sessions are about 30 minutes long, depending on the student.

I get to my office and leave my door open.

I need to answer emails and start finding music for Cara’s Christmas program.

We got most of the decorations this weekend for it but I know Cara isn’t done, not in the slightest bit.

I open my email and start replying back.

Most of it is Mrs. Emily’s calendar reminders of upcoming meetings.

As I’m looking over the music playlist for Cara, I hear Sadie yelling.

“No! I don’t want to hear it anymore!” She’s running out of Dean’s office.

My body shivers with her piercing cries.

She is headed straight to my office. Dean is running after her, but all I can see is the pain in Sadie’s eyes.

I instantly stand up and rush around my desk to reach her.

She reaches the doorway asking me to put on The Lumineers .

With tears falling from her little hazel eyes, she’s pulling at my blouse, pleading to me, “Please, please, I need to hear our song!” Still holding on to me with such force, I begin to walk us both backwards to my desk, I grab my phone and I frantically search for the only song I know.

I tap play, praying it’s the one she needs.

She falls to the floor right in front of me hugging her knees.

Rocking back and forth next to my desk. She shuts her eyes as she’s whispering along to the song, “I belong with you, you belong with me, you are my sweetheart…” I drop down next to her and gently wipe her tears.

“Sadie? Sweet Girl— what happened? What’s wrong?” I ask her softly.

“Dayna— I can’t— I can’t!” She cries out.

I keep my focus on Sadie as I see Dean in the corner of my eye standing next to Mrs. Emily’s desk. Mrs. Emily is standing in the doorway of my office with her hand over her heart.

In a calm but urgent voice I tell Mrs. Emily, “please call Mr. Beckett and let him know he is needed in my office right now.”

She quickly reaches over for her phone on her desk.

“Ms. Davis, can you cover Mr. Beckett’s class?

He is needed in the front office immediately.

Thank you.” Thank God, Cara’s class is with the music teacher on Tuesdays at 1:30 PM.

I hear her tapping the phone buttons again.

I finally hear her talking to Luke. “Your daughter needs you in Ms. Evans’ office immediately.

I’ve sent someone over to cover your class.

Ms. Davis will be there soon.” I hear her hang up.

I sit on the floor next to Sadie, I ask her if I can hold her, she nods her head yes.

I scoop her up to settle her on my lap. With both of us now on the floor, I start to rock her in my arms as the music is playing.

I smooth the back of her hair as she slowly calms down.

Sadie leans her head on my chest, her breaths are even and her eyes are closed.

She’s holding onto my blouse tightly. I rest my head on top of Sadie’s as I tap play again.

Hearing loud footsteps quickly ascending towards us, I know it has to be Luke.

Just then, the smell of citrus and pine rushes around us, I turned to look at Luke.

He has panic in his eyes. He is looking at Sadie and looking down at my phone with the music playing.

He reaches down from my embrace and picks her up.

“Sadie, talk to me, please.” She wraps her arms around his neck tightly.

“Daddy, I don’t want to talk to him anymore!

I don’t want to talk about Mommy. I know my mommy is gone forever and ever.

” Her voice cracked with tears streaming down her face.

She lays her head on his shoulders, trembling so hard.

Luke rubs her back as Sadie is trying to catch her breath.

“Shh…I’m here sweetheart, Daddy’s here.”

“He told me Dayna can never be my mommy, no matter what I feel. We’ll never be a real family with her because we already had one, and it wasn’t with her.

He said she wouldn’t want to be my mommy because she wants her own babies, and I’m not one of them.

But I—I have a mommy, and I know she’s gone.

I know she’s in heaven. D—Daddy, it hurts— it hurts so much! ”