Page 59 of Severance
“Where is she?” Kai interjects, the irritation laced within his words.
“Mia is out back with Paul practicing for her horse show on Saturday,” Bonnie finally admits. I let out a sigh of relief after expecting the worst, that she wasn’t here. “I wanted to talk to the two of you first.”
“Have we proven ourselves as worthy?” Kai scowls with a snarky tone.
Bonnie stares at him and tilts her head to the side. “Mia’s a great kid, always positive and happy, even as a baby.” She pauses as a small smile plays on her lips. “She has an arrogant streak, one she doesn’t show often. Clearly she inherited your attitude.”
“Good to know,” Kai grumbles as I chuckle lightly. It’s the first time I’ve really smiled since coming here.
Rising to her feet, Bonnie smiles down at us before heading to the back door. “Let’s go outside. I think it’s time you two meet our precious little girl.”
Quietly, we follow Bonnie outside with our anxiety not far behind us. She leads us down the path through the yard that leads to a small barn, surrounded by a pasture on either side.
We walk around to the back of the barn and our footsteps come to a stop as we reach the fence surrounding a riding arena. Dahlia inhales sharply as my body stills and Bonnie looks over at us with a warm smile.
As they float around the arena, Mia looks so tiny and delicate seated upon her black horse. It’s as if we’re watching a dance with the way her little body moves in a fluid motion as her horse canters past us.
We’re both struck with awe and watch her in amazement as they effortlessly soar over the vertical combination jumps in the center of the ring. She’s oblivious to our appearance as she is lost in her own little world, completely in her element.
Paul walks across the ring to us as Mia lands the last jump perfectly. He waves her over as she circles her horse around the ring, slowing down to a trot. Her horse slows down to a walk just as she reaches us and stops in front of Paul.
“Paul, this is Kai and Dahlia,” Bonnie says to him as Mia climbs down from her horse. Paul turns toward us and smiles as he takes us in.
“It’s nice to finally meet the two of you,” he replies with his hand outstretched. We both quickly take our turns shaking his hand before turning our attention back to Mia. Her small figure stands behind him as she rubs the small white swirl between her horse’s eyes.
Paul takes the reins from her and glances back at us. “Mia, we have some visitors,” he says lightly, guiding her toward us. “This is Kai and Dahlia. Remember, we told you that they know Grandma May?”
Mia nods as she unsnaps the buckle under her chin and pulls her helmet off. Long dark brown curls fall down her back and she greets us with a smile that meets her soft brown eyes.
Kai gasps lightly and grabs onto my hand tightly as I stare into the eyes that mirror his.
Holy fucking shit.
It hits me like a ton of bricks. This is reality, she’s our reality.
Mia is our daughter.
Glancing over at Kai, his soft brown eyes meet mine and he smiles. The look on his face is pure and his smile reaches his eyes as they travel from me to the beautiful girl that we created together.
Our daughter.
“Hi!” Her voice is like a soft melody floating through the air. Her excitement surrounds us and I feel the smile creeping onto my face.
“That was amazing what you just did,” I breathe in awe.
Mia giggles as she twirls her helmet by her side. “It wasn’t just me. Domino did most of the work.”
“Well, the two of you make a perfect team.” Kai smiles and winks at her. “There’s no way that I could ever do something like that.”
“Sure you could!” Mia exclaims. “All it takes is a little bit of practice.” She pauses and smiles back at him. “Do you want to ride him?”
Kai clears his throat and swallows hard. “I am good right here, on my own two feet.”
“Are you afraid of horses, Kai?” I question him with a chuckle.
“Domino would never hurt you!” Mia lets out as Bonnie and Paul laugh along.
Kai cuts his eyes at me. “I am not.”