Page 233 of The Path to Loving Him
“Can I go see her?”
Aubree nods. “You know where to find her. Send Wyatt down here.”
“I will.” I turn to Gabby and tilt her chin up. I gently kiss her and whisper, “I love you.”
“Love you.”
With that, I move up the stairs to the first bedroom door, where I hear Mac’s little voice. I pause for a moment, listening in on their conversation. Wyatt is a horse, and Mac’s telling him how beautiful his mane is. Wyatt makes a few horse noises, and I chuckle to myself, letting that lightness lead the way as I knock on the door, then push it open.
Wyatt is on all fours, wearing a long black wig while Mac combs his hair.
“Uh . . . hey, man,” Wyatt says, looking slightly embarrassed.
“Hey.” I smile. “Think I could have a chat with Mac for a moment?”
“Yeah,” he says, removing the wig and setting it aside. Wyatt stands and starts to move past me but stops and whispers, “The wig was my idea. Don’t let Aubree take the credit.”
“Odd thing to be proud of.”
He chuckles. “It was a hell of an idea.” He pats my shoulder and then shuts the door behind him.
Mac sits on the floor, not looking at me, so I take my time and move to the floor right next to her. “Hey, kiddo,” I say. “Can I talk to you for a moment?”
She nods but picks up a horse figurine and starts combing the hair.
“Can I steal your full attention? I really want you to hear what I have to say.” She sets down the horse and looks me in the eye. “First, I want to say that I missed you last night.”
Her lips curve down as she says, “I missed you too.”
“I’m glad to hear that because yesterday was a tough day.” She nods, and I take her hand in mine. “I need you to know that I’m sorry about what you saw yesterday. That’s something you never should have seen.”
“Was that man hurting Gabby?”
“Yes,” I answer, wanting to be honest with her. “And I saw him hurting her when we were on the Ferris wheel.”
“Why would he want to hurt her?”
“Because he’s a bad man,” I say. “And I didn’t want him hurting her, so I wanted to do something about it. Now, I should never have hurt him like that. That was wrong. And that’s what I’m sorry about. I’m not sorry about protecting Gabby, but I am sorry about how I went about it.”
“It was scary.”
I swallow the lump that forms in my throat. “I know, and I’m sorry you had to see that. I never should have scared you like that. I was very angry, and instead of thinking about my actions, I did what came naturally, and that was wrong. I’m sorry.”
She nods and looks away.
“You know I love you, right?”
Her eyes meet mine, and she nods. “I love you, too.”
“Yeah?” I ask, that lump forming again.
“Of course, how could I not love you?”
That makes me chuckle. “I really don’t know.” I open my arms. “Come here.”
She stands, then leaps into my arms, squeezing me tight. I wrap my arms around her, my eyes closing as tears form in them again. I’m so grateful for her forgiveness. For her love. For her little self. And I now realize how lost I would have been when Cassidy passed had Inothad this sweet baby girl.Shehas helped me so much through my own grief, and I honestly don’t think I could live without her.
When I came to help Cassidy after her husband passed, I didn’t think this is what my life would turn into, but I wouldn’t trade it for a thing . . . well, maybe that’s not the truth. If I could wish for anything, it would be to have Cassidy back, for her to beat the cancer so she could witness just how amazing her little girl is.
