Page 88 of In Full Bloom

“Because I thought now was a good time to have a chat with Sadie about some things.”

Flynn’s eyes go wide. “Oh. Shit. Yeah, I suppose there are some things to cover.”

I laugh, but it doesn’t sound amused. “Just a few minor details. Nothing life changing at all.”

Olivia rubs my arm in a comforting gesture. “You guys will figure it out. Should we go see Katie?”

“She’s in the bath right now, so probably not. But she really is okay.”

“I’m so glad she has you,” Olivia says and I swear her eyes are getting a little misty before she turns away and calls for Sadie.

“We’ll leave you to it,” Flynn says, giving me a pat on the back as he heads back into the house, followed by Olivia. A moment later Sadie skids down the hall, sliding in her socks.

“I thought you were busy tonight?” she asks as she comes to a stop in front of me.

“I sort of am. But I need to go check on Aurora and thought you might want to come with me.”

“Of course. Is Aurora okay?” She jams her feet into her boots and skips down the steps, pausing to wait for me as she asks her question.

“I’m sure she is.”

As we walk down the driveway to the barn, Sadie slips her hand into mine. I’m trying to figure out how to start the conversation in which I have to tell my child I’m in love with someone and that her mother is also back on the scene—but also that they’re two different women.

“Is Katie okay?”

“Yes,” I say slowly, drawing out the word. “Why do you ask?”

“I heard Flynn and Olivia talking about her. They said she got in a fight with someone.” Her eyes suddenly go round and her expression shifts. “I didn’t listen on purpose,” she says. “It was an accident. But also, she normally checks on the horses.”

“I know but I wanted to do it for her. She did have a fight with someone. He said some pretty mean things, but Katie is absolutelyfine.”

“That’s good. Did he apologise to her?”

“Not yet. But that doesn’t matter right now. I wanted to talk to you about Katie actually.” I draw in a deep breath. “We’ve been spending a lot of time together.”

Sadie kicks at a loose piece of gravel. “I know. You spend all day together on the farm.”

“I’ve also been seeing her outside of working. I guess … she’s my girlfriend.”

“Oh.” Sadie stops walking and stares up at me as understanding settles on her face. “Are you going to get married?”

“Ah, I’m not actually sure,” I say, rubbing at the back of my neck. “It’s still pretty new, but we wanted you to know.”

“Okay.” She looks a little puzzled, but continues walking towards the paddock Aurora is in.

“You like Katie, don’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“You don’t sound convinced.” I bend down and scoop her up into my arms, propping her on my hip. “It’s okay, Sadie. It’s going to take all of us some time to get used to.”

“But why aren’t you marrying her? Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do? Cinderella only met the prince for one-night and wanted to marry him. Why don’t you want to marry Katie? She’samazing.”

Understanding dawns. Freaking fairytales. I ruffle Sadie’s hair and set her down on the fence railings so we’re at even height.

“She is amazing. And maybe one day we’ll get married. But real life isn’t likeCinderella, or any of those other fairy tales. It takes time. But we love each other, and we both love you.”

Sadie wraps her arms around my neck, squeezing me so tight I can hardly draw breath. “I love you both too.” She lets me go as another idea fires through her brain. “Did you give her my picture? Is that why she loves you?”

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