Page 59 of Wild Hearts

Dakota nodded, a smile crossing her face.

"Have you cut down a tree before?" Addison asked.

"We did that when I lived with the Wildes, and I want Dakota to have that experience." When Addison remained quiet, I added, "She asked if you wanted to come with us."

Addison laughed. "Well, in that case, I can't say no."

I lowered my voice and turned slightly away from Dakota's curious eyes. "But you can say no to me?"

"Why is this so hard?" Addison asked, and I knew she was referencing an internal struggle over spending any time with me.

"It doesn't have to be. I'll text you when we're on our way. We have to eat still."

"Lunch?"

"Breakfast. Someone is a late riser on the weekend." I was teasing because it was one of the few things that Dakota did that was teenager-like.

"Hey," Dakota pouted.

"I don't mind." My heart was overflowing with love for Dakota, and I was happy to meet her where she was. Her personality had already been formed in her earlier years. I could guide her and teach her new things, but I didn't want to change who she was at her core.

"See you soon," Addison promised before she hung up.

When I set the phone down, my heart was beating harder.

"I told you she'd say yes," Dakota said with a smirk.

"She was more willing when she knew that you wanted her to be there," I said dryly.

"I'm an excuse for her. Addison can tell herself it's about me, but she really wants to see you."

Tension crept up my spine. "I hope you're right."

"Mom always said to trust myself, and that's what my intuition is telling me."

I wanted Dakota to be right more than anything. But I'd laid out my intentions to Addison last weekend and showed her how good we could be together again, and then it had been radio silence.

Was I always going to be the one pushing this? Would she ever see what could have been? Or maybe she'd always seen it, and that's why she was so reluctant to let me in again. I hurt her. I just hoped we could move past it. Otherwise, we wouldn't have a present, much less a future.

We ate breakfast, me teasing Dakota for the amount of syrup she poured over her pancakes and her telling me I ate too healthy since I put whey protein into my pancakes.

Things felt more comfortable between us, but I hadn't broached the conversation with her about birth control and what her mother had discussed with her. But it wasn't the time or the place. We needed to hurry if we were going to pick up Addison.

I cleaned up breakfast, and she ran upstairs to shower and change.

"Dakota!" I barked up the stairs when she wasn't coming down. A few days ago, I would have waited patiently for her, but it felt right to be more natural around her, and I hated being late.

"Coming! Sorry." She jogged down the stairs in her new puffy jacket and trendy snow boots she'd bought last weekend.

I shot off a text to Addison that we were on our way, then opened the door for Dakota.

Dakota stepped outside and lifted her face to the sky. "It's snowing!"

"You don't get snow in Virginia?"

"Here and there. And when it does snow it doesn't stick around like this." She waved a hand at the layer of frozen snow that covered the ground.

"You like it?"

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