Page 92 of Remember Me

“What, Daddy?”

“It’s about me and Kayla.”

Just the mention of her name sickens me. A shiver spirals down my back, turning my spinal cord into an iced-over river. She’s still in the mix.

The smile on my little girl’s face falls off. She knits her brows as Finn strokes her hair.

“Baby girl, Kayla and I broke up this morning.”

My eyes stay on my wide-eyed daughter as I register the news. They broke up? Is that where Finn disappeared to earlier?

“Daddy, does that mean you’re not going to marry her?”

Finn nods. “Yup.”

“Hooray!” shouts an ecstatic Maddie. “And does that mean you’re marrying Scarlet because you kissed her?”

I feel myself blush. I gulp a breath waiting for Finn to answer.

Finn winks at her. “Can you keep a secret?”

Our little girl bobs her head. “Uh-huh.”

“Promise?”

She gives him a pinky-up. “I promise, Daddy.”

“I already married her.”

Maddie’s eyes pop. “You did?”

Finn’s sapphire eyes twinkle. “Uh-huh.”

“No way!”

“Way! I’ll prove it to you. Sk... Scarlet, tell her.”

“It’s true, my sweetness.” I lift my left hand, showing her my ring. Finn follows suit, able to hold her up with one arm. “We have matching wedding bands.”

Maddie’s jaw drops. Her eyes grow wider, then challenging. She gazes up at Finn. “Why doesn’t Scarlet have a diamond ring like Kayla’s?”

Finn grins. “Because I want to buy her a bigger one! One with three diamonds—one for each of us. And I want you to help me pick it out.”

“Coolio!I have excellent taste!” She strokes his stubble “Are you guys having a wedding?”

“Yes. But after my show. And you’re going to be the flower girl.”

“Yay!” shouts Maddie. “I’m gonna get to wear a fancy dress!”

Then, she looks my way with a smile as wide as the sky, her face as bright as sunshine. “Scarlet, does this mean I can call you Mommy?”

Mommy. The word spins around my head like a pinwheel in the wind. How long I’ve waited to hear it! Many times thinking Inever would. Tears of pure joy brim in my eyes. “Yes, my sweet girl. I’d like that.”

She stretches her arms toward me and I take her from Finn. Curling herself around me, she gives me a delicious hug. My heart is melting like a candle, dripping with love.

She tugs at the locket around my neck. For a moment, I wonder if my curious little girl’s going to question why it’s back in my possession, but to my relief, she doesn’t.

“Mommy, can I tell you a secret?”

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