Page 198 of Reverie
“You wanna see the cherry blossoms too, baby girl?” I whisper to my daughter. I tickle the side of her neck, and she releases a laugh that hits me in the solar plexus every time.
Looking at Dawn is like looking at the galaxy. It’s overwhelming and awe-inspiring and thoroughly unbelievable. I can’t believe that she’s here in my arms. She inherited Winter’s face—her cheeks, lips, and eye shape—but she got my eye color. And while she’s fair-skinned, she has enough of a natural tan that people know she’s mixed.
Not that I let people anywhere close to her. Winter says that I eventually need to ease up.
The jury’s still out on that one.
“I just want to walk the circuit and then we can leave,” Winter says at my side. Sticking my arm out for her to link through, I say, “This is your show, Sunbeam. You lead the way.”
Once we’re on the wide bike path lining the Basin, the smell of the blossoms hits me, transporting me to a different time.In my memories, I’m back in the garden at Amelia Manor as a child, my mother dancing around me while she picked roses.
It’s a bright scent, and a perfect complement to this moment.
“Wow, H…” Winter tilts her head back, spinning slowly to take in all the trees. “It’s everything I ever imagined.”
Something in my soul shifts to see her in this moment.
Winter’s dreams, realized.
With a sigh, Dawn curls into me, nestling into my chest with her thumb in her mouth. I put my chin on the top of her head as I watch Winter reach up to touch one of the blossoms.
“Take one,” I tell her.
“Isn’t that illegal?” She sounds appalled.
I lift my eyebrow. “Really? You’re worried about the legalities of taking a flower that’s going to fall from the tree and die in a few days?”
She purses her lips, straightening her back into a prim pose.
“There are rules for a reason, Hunter.”
“And rules are made to be broken,” I reply. Scandalizing her, I reach for a low-hanging branch and snap a twelve-inch section from the tree.
She gasps. “Hunter James Brigham, you can’t do that!” she whisper-shouts.
“Well, baby,” I say, grinning. “It looks like I just did.”
She tries to look angry when I push the limb toward her, but with a look to her left and right, she hides the broken twig in the lower inside pocket of her jacket with a smile.
“I can’t with you,” she says, shaking her head.
“Anything for my babies,” I say, shrugging.
August lopes over to us. “I have seen everything I wanted to see. Can we leave now?” he asks.
Spinning one more time and inhaling deeply with her eyes closed, Winter says, “I’ve seen all I need too, Augs.”
Her smile shines bright like the sun.
Once we’re back in the Tahoe and headed back toward Amelia Manor, we fall into a tired silence. It’s only six a.m. but seeing Winter’s face was well worth it.
“Where to now?” Winter asks.
“Well, we’re going to Amelia Manor first,” I say.
“First?” she asks.
I glance at August who starts to fidget excitedly. I’ve had him help me keep this secret for three weeks now, and I promised him that he could spill the news.