Violet also throws her arms around me. “You will get through this.”
I hope so, because right now the idea of moving on from Cal feels impossible.
Especially when he plans on coming back.
It’s been a rather quiet dinner. I’ve spent a majority of the meal stuck in my head, only speaking to ask Cami questions that get her going off on a tangent, her mouth running faster than an airplane engine.
“Can we watch a movie tonight?” Cami asks in the middle of dinner.
“Sure,” I say absentmindedly as I twirl my pasta around my fork with no intention of actually eating it. My appetite dwindles with every reminder of Cal.
The empty placemat beside me.
The sink full of dishes that he would have volunteered to clean without me asking while I helped Cami wash her hair.
Merlin curled up underneath the table, right beside my feet, keeping me constant company.
“I miss Cal.” Cami sighs.
My heart tears in two. “You do?”
She nods. “He told me he would be back.”
My fork clatters against the plate. “He did?” The words come out like a wheeze. I only heard Cami asking him for a pinky promise, so I have no idea what Cal said to Cami while he was in her room.
She perks up. “Yup. After he gets better.”
The tightness in my throat doesn’t ease no matter how many deep breaths I take. “What else did he say?”
“He asked me to take care of Merlin for him.” Her eyes brighten. “And you.”
My lips press together to suppress the sob threatening to escape.
“Do you think he will come back soon, Mommy?”
“I’m not too sure.” I crack at the end of my sentence.
“Do you lovelovehim?”
My brows tug together. “Why are you asking?”
“Because he told me he lovelovesyou.”
A sharp stab of pain shoots through my chest. “I know.”
“Will he be my new daddy?”
“I don’t know.” The air whooshes out of me like a balloon losing all its helium.
Her smile wobbles. “I told him I wished he was.”
I blink. “You did? When?”
“On my birthday.”
Oh, Camila.I pull her into a tight hug. “Is that what you want?”
She nods against my chest.