Page 62 of The Lighthouse at the Cove
“I just— Stay for breakfast. You can work on your article later.”
She raised an eyebrow and set her bags down in the foyer. “Okay.” When her eyes focused on him, he could feel concern coming off her in waves. “Is everything all right, Reid?”
He shrugged, hoping he looked casual. “Yeah.” He pointed to the coffeepot. “Would you mind pouring us a couple of cups?”
“Sure,” she said, but worry flashed across her face.
Piper scampered into the kitchen, and they all sat down to eat. After they ate breakfast and cleaned up the kitchen, Kaiah hefted her bags onto her shoulder. “That was delicious. Seriously, though,nowI need to get started on my article. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Wait, Miss Kaiah,” Piper said. “You should come with us to go see Mommy.”
Reid’s lips pressed into a flat line. The last thing he wanted to do today was take Kaiah to the cemetery. That kind of macabre field trip might push her out of his life faster than she’d planned.
Against his better judgment, he chose to ignore Piper and instead force his lips into a thin smile. “I can’t wait to read your article.”
“Daddy?” Piper asked, and when he didn’t respond, she shook his arm. “Daddy! I want Miss Kaiah to meet Mommy. Can she come with us? Please?”
Reid’s spine stiffened. Closing his eyes, he brushed his hand over his mouth as he worked to form a response. A hand on his bicep startled him.
Kaiah had moved to his side, and her blue eyes were soft with concern. “Are you okay, Reid?”
He tucked his stress away with a bit of a smile. “I’m fine,” he fibbed. “She wants to take you to the cemetery,” he muttered. “It’s Brynn’s birthday.”
Kaiah blinked. “Oh. That’s why she said something about making her mommy a birthday card. She showed it to me, but I didn’t make the connection.”
“You don’t have to...”
She hesitated, and his stomach knotted. The last thing he wanted to do was make her feel uncomfortable.
“I don’t want to interfere,” she offered. “You two go, and I’ll show you my article when I finish it.”
“But I want you to come with us, Miss Kaiah,” Piper said.
Reid couldn’t stand the whine in his daughter’s voice. “No, Piper,” he said, gruffer than he meant to, and his daughter winced at his tone. “Miss Kaiah needs to work on her article about the festival.”
“Can’t you work on it later?” Piper offered.
The small, patient smile on Kaiah’s face nearly stopped Reid’s heart. She looked up at him. “Are you okay with me going with you? I feel like I’m stepping on your private family time.”
“Listen, I know this isn’t exactly a normal outing. But you could never intrude, Kaiah. Really.” Their gazes held, and he felt something warm and palpable pass between them. “You’re morethan welcome to join us. But if it feels too weird, I completely understand.”
“Are you sure?”
He nodded at her.
Kaiah closed the distance between her and Piper and then bent down to her level. “If you want me to go, then I’ll go.”
Piper clapped. “Yay!”
After stopping at the grocery store for a bouquet of spring flowers, Reid drove to Coral Cove Memorial Gardens. Moments with Brynn washed over him as he steered through the quiet cemetery. But his mind settled on the worst one. He remembered the day they had laid his beautiful young wife to rest and the service their pastor had held at her graveside. He couldn’t recall a word Pastor Deborah had spoken, but he did remember his twin’s tight grip as she held his hand and sobbed.
Reid parked by the row that led to Brynn’s grave, and he surveyed the headstones. Flowers, balloons, and toys signaled that other folks had recently visited their loved ones, and more regret pummeled him. He should make an effort to visit Brynn’s grave more often instead of only on Mother’s Day and her birthday.
Piper scrambled out of the back seat. “Let’s go, Miss Kaiah! You can meet my mommy.”
Reid glanced over at Kaiah beside him. “You don’t have to do this.”
“It’s okay.” Kaiah lightly placed her hand on his before pushing her door open just as Piper appeared. His daughter held the birthday card she’d made in one hand, and she grabbed Kaiah’s hand with the other. The young woman retrieved the bouquet of flowers he’d bought at the grocery store. Something in her eyes told him that she truly wanted to be here, and the gesture touched him deep in his soul.
