Page 75 of Saving You

A smiling Olivia is on the other side. “Good morning,” she says in a chipper voice. I don’t want to think about what led to that.

“Good morning,” I say, takinga step to the side so she can come in. “We have a couple pancakes if you’re hungry.”

She shakes her head. “I’m all good, thanks. Josh fed me before I left.”

She follows me into the kitchen where Bailey is working on her second cup of coffee. I place Charlie on the kitchen counter while the girls say their hellos and hug.

“Spa day! Are you excited because I am,” Liv says.

“Yup,” Bailey says, popping the p sound.

“I’m excited for a girls’ day. You joining us, Charlie?”

Charlie shakes her head. “No, I get to hang out with Caleb,” she says with a huge smile.

“That’s right. A Caleb and Little Bear day,” I say, running my hand through her hair.

Liv and Bailey smile at me.

Liv claps her hands and says, “Well, we should get going.”

Bailey rinses her coffee cup before putting it in the dishwasher and giving both Charlie and me a kiss.

“I’ll check the card,” I call after her and Liv as they make their way to the front door.

Turning back to Charlie, I say, “Why don’t you get dressed and then we can head out?”

She nods, and I help her off the counter and she runs upstairs. When she comes back down, I help her bundle up, and we take Finn on his walk before loading up in the truck. I get her settled in the back and put on Taylor Swift, knowing she loves it, and make my way to the hardware store. I decided that today we are going to pick out a colour to paint Charlie’s room and maybe some new furniture for her.

I grab a cart, and we head inside. Charlie holds onto the side of the cart as we make our way to the paint section. I watch as she takes in our surroundings. I didn’t tell her what we’re doing today; she was just excited to spend the day with me. This amazing little girl didn’t care what we did, she just wanted to spend the day with me. I realize more and more each dayjust how blessed I am to have these girls in my life.

I stop the cart in front of the colour selection and crouch in front of her. “Do you know what these are?” I ask while pointing to the wall of colours.

She shakes her head.

“These are paint colours. I thought today you could pick a colour to paint your room. Any colour you want.”

Her eyes widen.

“I can paint my room?”

“Yeah, any colour you want.”

She lunges herself into my arms, and mine instinctively wrap around her, holding her close. When she pulls back, she rushes over to the section of pinks. I smile, not surprised. I pull out a couple of options, and she picks a pastel pink. I put it in my pocket, and we make our way down the aisles. I grab the primer and a couple of cans of paint and all the supplies we need before we make our way to the mixing station.

Once I give them the paint and the colour choice, I pick up Charlie, positioning her on my hip so I can show her how they are making the colour for her. The entire process fascinates her.

When I finish paying, we make our way back out to the truck. In need of some more coffee, I hit a drive-through and grab Charlie a hot chocolate. Our next stop is a furniture store. I lead us straight towards the children’s bedroom section.

“So, you’ve picked out your paint colour. Now it’s time to pick out a new bed.”

She runs over to a loft bed and climbs up the ladder and settles on the mattress. “Can I have this one?”

I walk up to her and rest my arms on the side of the bed. “Yeah, Little Bear, you can have this one.”

She wraps her arms around my neck. The smell of her strawberry shampoo fills my nose, and I realize how much it relaxes me because smelling it means she’s close by and she’s safe.

“You’re the bestest,” she whispers in my ear.

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