Page 28 of One Kind Goal

“See you soon, Sawyer,” Isabel said. “I can’t wait to meet Nia.”

A few minutes later, Sawyer pulled into Carina’s driveway. Carina and Nia stood in the open garage, a small purple suitcase next to Nia.

The smile on Nia’s face made love for that tiny person swell in Sawyer’s chest. He didn’t get to see her much, but this invisible rope tethered them to each other. All he wanted to do was make that bond stronger. He wanted Nia to know him. He wanted her to trust him and depend on him and realize that he thought she was the best thing ever created. He wanted to be everything to her that his father never was for him.

Sawyer opened his car door and Nia ran over to him.

“I saw you on a magazine, Daddy!” Her sweet, little voice melted him.

“You did?” He got out of the car and Nia’s brows creased when she saw his arm.

“You’re hurt, Daddy.”

He lifted his casted arm. “It’s going to be okay, Nia-bunny. It’s broken, but it’ll get better in a few weeks.”

She launched forward, clamping her arms around his left leg. When she looked up at him, a bright smile dimpled her cheeks. “I’ll take care of you, Daddy.”

He ran his hand over her dark curls. “That sounds wonderful.” He crouched and kissed the top of her head. “You ready for a little trip to Vermont with me?”

“Uh-huh.” She pointed back to the garage. “Mommy packed my suitcase. It’s purple!”

He took in her purple winter coat, her leggings with purple flowers emblazoned on them, and her purple sneakers. “Is purple your favorite color?”

“Everything in this suitcase is purple,” Carina said as she brought the suitcase over to the SUV. She held up a stuffed puppy. “Even the dogs around here are purple.”

Sawyer took the dog. “A purple dog? Well, that’s silly.”

Nia jumped up, trying to snatch the dog from Sawyer, but he held it higher, loving how his daughter giggled and basically climbed up his leg.

“You’re silly!” Nia shouted.

“Oh, yeah?” He handed her the dog, then picked Nia up by wrapping his left arm around her waist. She weighed basically nothing, but she wiggled like a wild animal as she squealed.

Carina smiled and Sawyer took that as a major win. “I’ll put this in the back?” She angled the suitcase at his SUV.

“Sure.” He set Nia down and hit the button on his keys to open the trunk.

“What are we going to do in Vamont?” Nia asked.

“Ver-mont,” Carina said slowly.

“Vermont,” Nia repeated, nodding slightly as if committing the word to memory.

“Build snowmen, go sledding, ice skating, have hot cocoa . . .” With each activity he listed, Nia danced around his feet in excitement. Her energy was contagious.

“How are you going to do all that with a broken arm?” Carina folded her arms across her chest.

“Don’t worry about that. I’ll figure it all out so it’s safe for Nia.”

Carina stared at him a moment longer before nodding. “Let me get her car seat.”

After Carina installed the car seat in his SUV, she crouched in front of Nia. “Now you behave for your daddy and remember to be polite to everyone you meet.”

“I will, Mommy.” Nia hugged Carina then wiggled past her mother to climb into the SUV.

“I promise you can trust me with her, Carina,” Sawyer said.

“I’ve always trusted you, Sawyer,” she said quietly. “It’s the public I don’t trust.”