Page 49 of Paper Flowers (Stonebrook #1)

“Really? Can we go dress shopping for Cara’s Christmas program too?” I laugh, shaking my head. All the kids at school call it “Ms. Davis’ program,” She’s worked so hard on it that it may as be named after her.

“Actually, that’s a great idea.” I say. “I need a new outfit too. Maybe we can do two days of shopping— one for gifts and one for dresses?” Sadie practically vibrates in her seat.

“Two days of shopping? I’m totally in!” I glance at Luke, who is shaking his head in disbelief, a knowing smirk on his lips.

“I’m in trouble,” he mutters, lifting his beer bottle to his lips. “You two on a two-day shopping spree is going to kill my wallet.” I give him a playful shrug. “At least you know we’ll come back with good stuff.” Luke laughs, but Sadie suddenly yawns, rubbing her sleepy eyes.

“Daddy, I’m tired.” Luke nods towards the house. “Why don’t you go get ready for bed? We’ll be up in a few minutes to tuck you in.”

“Can I read before bed?”

“Of course. Head upstairs, sleepy head.” Sadie grabs her empty plate and glass, carefully walking inside.

I stand, collecting my own plate along with Luke’s.

I hear the soft clink of glass as Luke finishes his beer, tossing it into the recycling bin.

By the time I reach the sink, he’s already there, motioning for me to let him take over.

I perch on a barstool, watching Luke move around the kitchen.

Something about this moment-about this life-makes me pause.

I have a great job. A house I made into a home.

I have Luke. I have Sadie, who is the most joyful, loving, wonderful little girl.

I am so damn lucky to be part of her life.

As I soak it all in, a feeling creeps in.

Something is…off. I glance around the living room, my gaze lingering on th e walls.

My stomach tightens. Luke had so many family portraits displayed— a gallery of moments frozen in time. But now? Some of them are missing.

A heaviness settles in my chest as I stand up, walking toward the empty spaces where the frames once were. I reach out instinctively, trailing my fingers over the bare wall. My heart twists. Where are they? Juliette’s photos. Their wedding portraits. I will them to reappear.

“Dayna.”

Luke’s voice is quiet behind me.

I close my eyes for a second before turning around, finding him standing there. His hand settles on my lower back, grounding me. I didn’t even hear him turn off the sink. His eyes— those soft familiar ocean blue eyes speckled with silver, study me carefully.

“Luke,” I whisper. “Where are the portraits?”

“Upstairs in the attic.”

I blink, caught off guard.

“Why?”

He exhales, his voice gentle but certain. “It was time to move some of them.” My throat tightens.

“And Sadie? Does she feel like it was time?”

“She picked out her favorite ones, and we hung them in her room. We did this before Thanksgiving.”

I swallow. “Luke…I don’t want you to feel like you have to take them down. I love seeing them and seeing her.”

His gaze softens. “I know, Baby. I appreciate that more than you know.” His fingers trail from my back to my hips and give a reassuring squeeze.

” “But Sadie and I talked about it. This is what we needed to do. The portraits won’t stay in the attic forever.

I’m going to rotate some of them in Sadie’s room from time to time. ”

He pauses, then adds, “Nina and William have been asking about them too. When they pick her up in a couple of weeks, they’ll take the rest.”

I don’t know what I expected.

But this…this wasn’t it .

It’s a huge step.

For Luke.

For Sadie.

Luke doesn’t do things unless he’s absolutely sure about them. I look up at him again, really seeing him.

He must notice the emotions running through me, because he cups my face, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead.

“Dayna, I know your mind is running a mile a minute.”

I exhale shakily, my hands resting on his chest.

“Please know, that I did this for myself and for Sadie.” His voice is calm, steady. “Taking a few photos down doesn’t mean I don’t love or care about Juliette. Sadie knows that. Nina and William know that.”

He presses his lips against my forehead for another kiss. I find myself leaning into his body, taking a deep breath of his signature scent and as I close my eyes.

I believe him.

“I love you, Luke.”

His arms tighten around me. “I love you too.” He laces our fingers together and tugs me gently towards the stairs.

“Come on, our girl is waiting.”

The week dragged on endlessly. Between back-to-back meetings, parent emails, and last-minute scheduling conflicts, my entire week felt like a blur of administrative chaos.

By the time Friday finally rolled around, I left work the moment Sadie got out of school—something I almost never do.

But today was different. Today is shopping day with my Sweet Girl.

We’ve been out for a couple of hours now, and I know Sadie’s stomach is growling.

The moment we step into Target , she tugs on my hand.

“ Starbucks first?” I laugh, knowing the answer is always yes.

A few minutes later, we’re sipping on our usual— Pumpkin Spice Latte for me, Caramel Apple Cider for her. A protein box is perched on the toddler seat of the shopping cart, and we share it as we make our way through the aisles.

The shopping list keeps growing.

Sadie has carefully written down everyone’s name— her dad, Liam, her grandparents, and even Mrs. Emily.

Sadie, the organizer, has the shopping cart arranged like a checklist, every item facing upward so she can track who has a gift and who doesn’t.

When we stop in the throw blanket aisle, she slows down, carefully inspecting her options.

She tugs gently on my sleeve. Looking at her, “I think Grandpa would like a fluffy blanket.” She tilts her head at me, with her little thinking face.

“Grandma always takes his cozy blanket when we’re watching TV together.

” I smile. “That’s really sweet. What color do you think he’d like?

” Sadie’s face lights up. “I like this green one!” She points to the dark forest green throw blanket, carefully lifting it before tossing it into the cart.

Taking a sip of her cider, she suddenly pivots toward the men’s clothing section.

Luke mentioned he needed more sweaters for work. Now that we’re here, I might as well ask for Sadie’s help. She wanders ahead, flipping through the racks, before stopping at a cream-colored quarter-zip pullover. She holds it up, grinning. “This is perfect for Daddy!”

My heart melts.

“That’s a great pick, Sadie!”

“They come in three other colors!” She points excitedly. “Can we get them too?”

“Let’s see if they have his size and we’ll get them.”

I sort through the sweaters, hoping they have his size. Sadie patiently waits as I pull out Luke’s size in each color. Sadie claps her hands together, satisfied. “I think we’re done shopping!”

As we make our way toward the checkout, the line is long, winding toward the front of the store. With the holiday shopping in full effect, we expect nothing less than crowded. A few people ahead, I spot him.

Dean.

My body stills.

He’s standing with a tall strawberry-blonde who leans into him. His arm is wrapped around her waist. I force myself to keep my expression neutral. Sadie is still talking excitedly, completely unaware.

For now.

“Can we put his sweaters in my room? I don’t want him to peek before Christmas.” I laugh softly, agreeing.

“I’ll leave them in my car until he’s asleep. Then in the morning, you can hide them.” “I won’t forget where I put them!” she says proudly. We inch forward as the line moves. Sadie takes the last sip of her cider before glancing at my empty cup.

“I’ll throw these away! I see a trash can up there.” Before I can stop her, she’s already skipping ahead.

“Sadie, wait?—”

Too late.

She weaves through the crowd, murmuring “excuse me” as she goes. I don’t take my eyes off her. Just as she reaches the trash can, she stops abruptly.

Her entire body stiffens.

She sees him.

And he sees her.

Dean’s posture shifts. He is casually leaning against the checkout divider, his arm loosely wrapped around the strawberry-blonde woman’s waist. But the moment Sadie freezes, his grip tightens.

Almost possessive. He turns his head slowly, deliberately.

At first, he only glances at her, his expression unreadable.

But then, his gaze flicks up— straight to me.

In that instant, his entire demeanor changes.

His jaw tenses, his grip flexes, and his lips pull into something that isn’t quite a smirk, but not a scowl either.

Something in his eyes. Sharp, calculating, something simmering beneath the surface.

Makes my stomach turn. There’s no warmth.

No casual acknowledgement. Just thinly veiled contempt.

He says nothing, but his stare lingers, heavy and pointed.

A challenge.

A silent, unspoken message.

Sadie takes a tiny step back, hesitating.

My chest tightens .

Come on Sweet Girl , you can do this, you’re strong. I quickly wave her on, my expression calm but firm. You’re okay. Keep going. I internally send her affirmations. As she could hear my thoughts, she nods, barely, before quickly moving past him.

But as she does, Dean exhales.

It’s barely noticeable, a soft scoff under his breath.

Like he’s amused.

Like he knows something I don’t.

His hand slides from the blonde’s waist to the small of her back, and when she tilts her head to look at him, he leans down—murmuring something just loud enough for me to hear the shift in his voice but not the words. She lets out a breathy giggle, tilting her head closer to his chest.

And just like that, Dean turns away.

Like we never existed.

Like Sadie didn’t just hesitate at the sight of him.

Like I wasn’t even there.

But I felt it.

The undercurrent of something unspoken, something unresolved.

And I won’t let it get to me.

I just keep my focus where it belongs— on Sadie, who is now walking quickly toward me. The second she reaches me, she wraps her arms tightly around my waist. I stroke her hair, keeping my voice gentle but steady. “You’re okay, Sadie. I’m right here.”

She peeks up at me, her voice barely above a whisper.

“You are way prettier than her, Dayna.”

I choke on a laugh. She breaks the hug before I can even respond, her expression set with quiet determination. My phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out, Luke’s name flashing on the screen. “Hey, how’s everything going?” His voice is warm, familiar, grounding.

“It’s going well. We’re finishing up now. Do you want me to grab dinner?”

“Whatever you want, Baby. I’ll eat anything.”

My lips curve into a smile. “Okay, we’ll be home soon. ”

There’s a brief pause before he murmurs, “Can’t wait. I miss my girls.”

My heart jumps.

My girls.

I end the call, glancing down at Sadie, who is now carefully arranging our items on the checkout conveyor belt. She’s bouncing on her toes, excited for Christmas. In this moment, everything feels exactly as it should.

Luke and I are settled on the couch, the house quiet, with only the soft glow of the TV flickering against the walls.

Sadie has been asleep for hours. Luke is sprawled out, his legs resting on the ottoman, flipping through channels with no real interest. I’m tucked into the corner of the couch, curled up under one of his warm flannel blankets.

But my mind isn’t on the TV. It’s still looping through what happened earlier.

“We ran into Dean.” I say, getting Luke’s attention. The remote immediately stops clicking. Luke sits up, dropping it onto the ottoman tray. His entire posture changes— more alert, more tense.

“Did he say something to you?” His voice is low, guarded. “I told him if he ever?—”

“Luke, hey.” I reach out, placing a hand on his knee. “Everything was okay.”

He doesn’t look convinced.

“Sadie wanted to throw away our empty Starbucks cups,” I explained, shifting slightly to face him. “She saw a trash can up ahead and went for it before I could stop her. Turns out, Dean was right there, a few spots ahead of us in line.”

Luke exhales slowly, his hand flexing over his knee.

I know he’s trying to stay calm, but his protectiveness over us, over Sadie, always runs deep.

I keep my voice steady, reassuring. “Sadie hesitated for a second when she saw him. But I waved her over to me, and she was fine after that.” Some of the tension eases from his shoulders, but not all of it.

There’s a long pause. Then I say it— the part that’s been nagging at me.

“He was there with someone.” Luke’s brows pull together.

“Who?”

“Some girl.” I shake my head. “Strawberry-blonde hair, really tall, stuck to his side like glue.” Luke studies me carefully. I hesitate, then smirk a little.

“Sadie made a joke that I’m prettier.” Luke’s lips curve instantly. “I’m sure it wasn’t a joke, babe.” I roll my eyes, but the warmth in my chest spreads. The Becketts really know how to make my heart burst.

Luke shifts, resting an arm along the back of the couch, his fingertips grazing my shoulder. “Did he look at you? Did he say anything?”

I shake my head. “Not a word. Just… looked. But it wasn’t like—” I stop myself.

Because I don’t know how to explain it. Dean wasn’t just ignoring me.

He wasn’t just cold.

He was… detached. Like the six years we were married never happened.

Like we never even existed.

The thought unnerves me in a way I wasn’t expecting.

I take a slow breath. “He checked out shortly after, and then we left. Nothing more to it.”

Luke studies me for a beat longer, then nods.

“As long as he didn’t say anything to you or Sadie—or make you uncomfortable.”

That’s the thing. Dean didn’t say anything. But somehow, he still managed to get under my skin. Luke’s expression shifts slightly, reading something in my silence. His hand slides down to lace his fingers with mine.

“If I ever see him even looking at you or Sadie the wrong way?—”

I squeeze his hand. “Luke.”

His jaw tenses.

I soften. “We’re okay.” But the truth is, I was ready to go full Mama Bear on Dean if he so much as breathed wrong in Sadie’s direction.

That thought alone scares me. Because I never knew maternal instincts could come out this strongly—without ever officially being a mom.

I look up at Luke, his protective blue eyes watching me closely. My fingers tighten in his.

“I love you.” Luke exhales slowly, shifting forward.

“I love you, too.” His voice is quiet but resolute. He tugs me closer until my head rests against his shoulder, and for the first time since we left Target , my body finally starts to relax. We sit there for a while, wrapped in warmth, wrapped in home.