The Heart of a Girl (2) (28 page)

             
“Just follow the sound of crazed yells of Dada and I’m sure you’ll find her.”

             
He chuckled. “That was your first word, too.”

             
I sighed. “Yeah, but I don’t think it was my only word.” I smiled again at Mason and Cynthia, who seemed too lost in each other to notice. I grabbed my dad’s arm and headed off to find Ned, who was bouncing Harper and making her laugh. She was so happy and I was so lucky for that.

             
“Ned, you remember my dad, Michael Winslow.”

             
Ned stopped bouncing Harper long enough to glance over at my dad and nod once. I knew that he wasn’t really ready to forgive my parents yet. As silent as Ned was and as much of a workaholic as he appeared to be, I knew he took family seriously. Even during the two months Adam and I were broken up, he never once treated me any differently. I was a part of his family now and my dad was going to have to try a little harder to be accepted into it.

             
“Nice set up you’ve got here,” my dad remarked. “I hear you designed it all yourself?”

             
“That I did,” Ned said and nodded towards the deck, where Adam and Greg were now having a heated argument over something. “But right now I have something else to tend to. Here’s your mommy back, Harper.” He placed her in my arms and started off towards the grill.

             
“I take it he isn’t much of a fan,” he dad remarked.

             
“You’ll grow on him,” I said with a smile. “You always do.”

             
He chuckled. “That’s very true.”

             
Harper glanced at him curiously, like she didn’t quite remember who he was. I realized we’d never given him an official name, not since she’d begun talking and understand better. Julia was Nana, Sylvia was Grandma, and Ned was Pop-Pop.

             
“Harper this is, umm…”

             
My dad looked at me and smiled softly. “Let her try and say Michael for now. It seems like Ned isn’t really ready to let me into your new family and I think it might be good if I have to earn my way in.”

             
I nodded slowly, though it hurt me to think of my daughter calling my father by his first name. “Harper, sweetie, this is Michael. Can you say Michael?”

             
“Dada,” she replied and I decided not to press her. It was her birthday. Hopefully she’d stop calling everyone and everything Dada by her next.

             
Adam called to us that the food was ready and we made our way back to the deck and sat around the large picnic table Ned had ordered just for the occasion. I smiled at all the faces, some more familiar than others, and felt joy as they all made a big deal out of Harper and her birthday dress. She seemed to know she was the center of attention and beamed as everyone cooed and smiled at her.

             
I grinned over at Hannah, wanting to point out that DNA isn’t what made you family. Harper didn’t have a drop of Hannah’s blood in her and yet sometimes she reminded me so much of her, it was uncanny. Hannah seemed to sense what I was thinking and stuck her tongue out at me.

             
Harper sampled her first hot dog and it wasn’t a success. Adam ran back to the guest house to get her some of the canned peaches she liked so much and after everyone was fed and happy it was time to sing happy birthday.

             
I didn’t think I’d turn into a sobbing mess over something as simple as the birthday song but as soon as it started I began bawling. Harper, true to the way she’d been since an infant, joined in with me. Years from now she’d look through her baby book and see pictures of her red faced and screaming as the cake was put down in front of her.

             
My sobs subsided long enough to blow out the candles for her and then help her with her very first piece of cake. Unlike the hot dog, it was very much a success. Once she was done eating whatever she wanted of it, she took to using the leftover violet colored icing to paint on both herself and me.

             
Adam came up behind me when we were still seated and I tilted my head backwards to smile up at him. He shook his head at the violet icing I could feel all over my face and chuckled.

             
“I always thought you looked beautiful in blue,” he remarked.

             
“It’s purple,” I corrected him.

             
He wiped some off my cheek and put his finger in his mouth. “Tastes blue.”

             
“DADA!” Harper replied excitedly.

             
“I guess that solves it,” I laughed.

             
“Yeah, I guess so.” He bent down and kissed me, his lips tasting like sugar and cake and Adam. “We made it,” he whispered when he pulled away, his breath warm on my face.

             
“Yes we did,” I whispered back and Harper began bouncing, letting me know that her sugar rush was hitting and she was ready to be free. I pulled away from Adam and put her on the ground, where she tottered over to him and reached up, demanding to be held.

             
“She tricked me,” I laughed as Adam scooped her up and she buried her face in his neck. “I thought she wanted to walk around.”

             
Adam reached his free hand for me to take it and I did. He pulled me up and then close to him, kissing my forehead.

             
“Why walk when you can be held?” He asked and I smiled up at him, wondering if any words had ever sounded more true.

             
We’d finally gotten here, but it hadn’t been easy. We’d had our struggles and made our mistakes, but we’d still gotten to this point. We’d made it to Harper’s first birthday and our second anniversary, not unscarred but ready for whatever else life threw at us.

             
We were together because we wanted to be; that was most important of all. Not because of Harper. Not because of obligation or because it would be easy, but because of a love that had sparked that night on the beach. A spark that hadn’t fizzled out yet and one I hoped never would.

             
I titled my face up for another kiss but before I could receive it Harper reached up and grabbed a hold of Adam’s chin.

             
“Mama, NO,” she said, using the same voice as I did whenever I corrected her. Adam and I exchanged surprised glances before we both burst out laughing, Harper joining in a few minutes later.

Acknowledgements

             
This book was written during a time in my life where a lot of things were changing and I was amazed at how quickly it came. Unlike the first one, this book came easily and without as much effort. I fell more in love with these characters than ever before and I hope the same goes to all that have read both.

             
As always I want to thank the people in my life that made this possible. That accepted it when I disappeared into my own little world for days at a time without question and that supported me along the way and reminded me of why I want to do this. You know who you are and I love you always.

             
A special thanks to Amy Queau for once again designing a beautiful cover for my book and for being the kind of writer I aspire to be more like every time I write.

About the Author

Kaitlyn Oruska has wanted to be a writer for as long as she can remember but never thought it was possible until the idea of this these characters wouldn’t leave her alone. She lives in a small town in southeastern Pennsylvania with her husband, her cat and her dog and hopes to write many, many more books.
This is her second book and the second in the Haven Series.

You can visit her anytime on her website/blog:
www.kaitlynoruska.wordpress.com