Page 173 of The Promise Of Rain

I put down my phone and picked up my pen.

Buns and Biscuits is doing well, and I hired a young woman who bakes like a dream.

Her parents moved away, but she didn’t want to leave Moose Lake.She rents the upstairs apartment.

Maybe I can give her a little head start.Her dream is to become a cake decorator.Who knows?Maybe we’ll be expanding.

You made my dreams come true, maybe I can do the same for her.

Speaking of dreams, Deaconbought the airfield and set up his flight school.He’s heavily involved with the Cadets, and I’ve never seen him happier.

There’s a little lounge attached to it he called ‘Charlie’s Place’ in honour of the friend he lost.

Deacon smiles all the time now.

He even got his mom to go up with him though his dad won’t be swayed.

Annie toddled through the kitchen; the remnants of her sandwich squished between her fingers.

“Hi, Momma,” she trilled, lifting her arms up to be picked up.“I put Daddy nap.”

I rolled my eyes.Naptime.Deacon’s favourite game.

“Hi, Babycakes,” I murmured, setting her on my lap.

She lay her little palm on my face.“I going for a baff.”

“Good idea.Tell Daddy and he’ll take you, okay?”

“Bloody hell,” she grumbled, climbing off my lap.“Him gets supoo in mine eyes.”

“Annie,” I admonished.“Do we say, ‘bloody hell’?

She looked at me and considered.“No.Only me and daddy.”

God help us when she went to school.

I snorted out a laugh as she toddled back out screaming, “Daddy!Bafftime!”

Life is good, Ansel.It’s sweet.

Some might even say epic.

“Daddy!”Annie’s big voice filtered down the stairs.“There’s a Hairy fucking Larry in the potty!”

I left the kitchen and ran to the bottom of the short flight of stairs.Centipedes always made for good entertainment.

“Is it in the water?”Deacon’s big feet hit the floor as he bounced off the bed and pounded toward the bathroom.

“Him swimming,” Annie confirmed.

“Flush!”He yelled.“Flush it down, baby girl!”

He walked out into the hall with Annie dangling under his arm like a sack of potatoes.“Bloody hell, I hate those fucking things.”

“Bloody hell,” she echoed.

“Shush, kid.You’re going to get me in trouble.”