Chapter 10
After that day, Nathan and Ava became regulars at Second Light Books.
Nearly every weekend, they’d spend an hour or two in the shop. Ava would curl up quietly on the little couch in the corner, lost in her picture books, while Nathan sat beside her with a medical journal or a biography, reading in peaceful silence.
Sometimes, Emily would brew them a pot of herbal tea. Nathan always thanked her with a polite smile. Ava would flash a sweet “Thank you, Emily” and go right back to her story.
One sunny Saturday, Nathan suggested a trip to the amusement park.
“You should come too,” he said, adjusting his glasses with a hint of sincerity.
“Ava’s been begging to go–only if you come along.”
Emily was about to decline, but one look at Ava’s hopeful eyes and she caved.
The amusement park buzzed with laughter and energy. Ava clutched Nathan’s hand with her left, Emily’s with her right, tugging them around from ride
to ride with uncontainable joy.
They rode the carousel, crashed bumper cars, and even queued up for the Ferris wheel.
At the very top, Ava pointed at the clouds in the distance. “That’s where Mommy lives now,” she whispered.
JA
Emily felt her chest tighten.
Nathan gently pulled Ava closer and murmured, “She’s in heaven watching over you, sweetheart. She wants you to be happy every single day.”
Ava nodded solemnly. Then she turned to Emily and asked, “Can you be my new mommy?”
The air went still.
Emily froze, unsure how to respond. Nathan quickly jumped in, trying to soften the moment.
“Ava, that’s not something you can just—”
“I’m not kidding!” Ava’s little cheeks flushed pink. “I like her! And she likes me too, don’t you?”
Emily looked into her determined eyes and couldn’t help but think of Lily–how once she set her mind on something, she’d never let go.
“Of course I like you, Ava,” Emily said gently. “But a mommy is special. She’s one of a kind. No one could ever replace her.”
Ava blinked, not quite understanding, but nodded anyway and nestled back into Nathan’s arms.
On the drive home, Ava fell asleep in the back seat.
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Nathan kept glancing at Emily through the rearview mirror. “Thanks for today,” he said softly. “She hasn’t smiled that much in a long time.”
Emily shook her head. “I had fun too.”
The setting sun lit the clouds in warm streaks of gold and red. As Emily reached up to shield her eyes from the light, her sleeve slipped, revealing a faint
scar on her wrist.
Nathan’s eyes flicked to the mark. He didn’t say anything, but his fingers on the wheel tightened.
A week later, Nathan came to the store alone, holding a travel mug.
“I brewed this myself,” he said as he handed it to her. “It’s chamomile–might help with sleep.”
Emily stared at the cup, momentarily stunned. “How’d you know I have trouble sleeping?”
Even though she’d left that place behind, the past still haunted her. She couldn’t count how many nights she’d woken from dreams she couldn’t remember but could never forget.
Nathan smiled behind his glasses, voice low and warm.
“Come on, Emily. I’m a doctor. You don’t have to explain things to me. Just… if you ever need anything, I hope you’ll ask. I mean, we’re friends now, right?”
Emily instinctively tugged her sleeve back down.
Chapter 10
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“Sorry,” Nathan said quickly. “I didn’t mean to pry. I just… as a doctor–and as your friend–I want to see you taking care of yourself.”
She hesitated, then smiled, eyes softening. “I will. Thank you. For the tea… and for everything.”
“If I ever need help, you’ll be the first to know.”
After that, Nathan dropped by more often–sometimes with Ava, sometimes alone. And he always brought something: a bunch of wildflowers, a box of homemade cookies, a fresh blend of tea.
Emily found herself getting used to the quiet rhythm of his presence.
Sometimes, watching Nathan and Ava reading together by the window, she felt a strange kind of peace.
A life she’d once only dreamed of now felt almost within reach.
Simple. Steady. Full of quiet warmth.
One rainy night, as Emily was organizing books on a high shelf, the bell over the door chimed.
Nathan stood on the threshold, soaked through, cradling a flushed and feverish Ava in his arms.
“Sorry to bother you so late,” he said, voice shaky. “She kept crying… said she can’t sleep unless you read to her.” Emily rushed them inside and took the burning little girl in her arms. Her skin was hot, her cheeks bright red.
“It’s okay, baby. I’m right here,” she murmured, rubbing Ava’s back gently. “You’re safe now.”
That night, Emily sat beside Ava, reading softly, never once leaving her side. Nathan sat across from her, silent, watching the scene with a look she couldn’t quite name.
When Ava finally drifted off, the storm had passed. Moonlight slipped through the curtain’s edge and painted a silvery path across the floor.
“Thank you,” Nathan whispered.
Emily shook her head and started to rise–but her legs had gone numb from sitting too long, and she stumbled.
Nathan caught her just in time.
For a second, they were far too close.
Both froze. Both blushed. And neither said a word.
