Chapter 8

eight

Cam held Brady's hand as they weaved their way through the crowds at the Maple Ridge Farmers Market. Typically, there was a decent turnout in the pretty downtown square, but today, there were tons of extra people walking around due to the additional festivities.

Top 40 music blasted through several massive speakers while food trucks joined the usual vendors selling their various homemade goods and garden-fresh produce.

Cam adjusted his aviators on his nose as the sun blazed hot and bright in the late-morning sky. "What do you want to do first?"

Brady clutched his new stuffed dinosaur in his arm as he stared at the bouncy house set up on Main Street. "We should get ice cream at the booth."

Cam grinned as Brady looked at him with hopeful eyes. "I like the way you think. But let's save ice cream until after we have some lunch. We'll get something soon."

Brady nodded. "Okay." Then he gasped and broke away from Cam, running through the crowd.

"Brady!" Cam hurried after him, keeping track of Brady's bright-orange T-shirt as he skirted around several people.

Moments later, Brady crashed into the golden goddess, throwing his arms around Fiona's smooth, toned thighs in a hug as she perused the selection of greenhouse tomatoes.

Her eyes grew huge as she looked down, then grinned one of her glorious grins.

Damn, she was sinful. She wore a sunhat, sandals, and a simple black V-neck romper that buttoned up her front and belted at her waist.

Cam finally caught up, frowning as he knelt before his son. "Running off like that isn't okay, Brady. It isn't safe."

Brady's face fell. "I saw Fiona. I wanted to say hello to my best friend."

Cam sighed because no one knew how to tug at his heartstrings like Brady did. His son so rarely misbehaved. "I understand. But we have to hold hands when so many people are around. I don't want you getting lost."

Brady nodded. "I'm sorry I made you mad."

Cam shook his head. "I'm not mad. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to find you in the crowd."

Brady nodded again as he stared at the pavement.

"Hey," Cam said, gently nudging Brady's chin until their eyes met. "We all forget sometimes. We all make mistakes. What do you say we have some fun?"

Brady smiled. "Okay."

Cam gained his feet, taking Brady's hand again as he met Fi's gaze. "Hey."

She smiled. "Hey."

"I'm sorry about the near takedown. Brady got a little excited."

Her smile returned. "All's forgiven." She slid Brady's hair back from his forehead as she looked at him. "I see you're feeling better today."

Brady nodded. "I read a book and felt better again. And I opened your presents when my friends left. I brought my dinosaur today."

"I see that, too."

"He's my favorite. And the Jurassic Legos. And the boy superhero books."

Cam had loved how excited Brady had been to open Fi's gifts. He'd loved it even more that she'd put so much thought into her selections for his son. "The presents were great, Fi. We read a couple of the books this morning, and the Legos are on the agenda for this afternoon."

"Aw," Fiona said as her smile bloomed into a grin. "I'm glad." She gave her attention back to Brady. "A special boy deserves special presents on a very important birthday."

Brady nodded. "When you're five, you go to kindergarten at big kid school."

"Are you going to kindergarten this fall?"

Brady nodded. "With my friends."

"Then I guess that makes you an official big kid."

Brady beamed as he hopped from one foot to the other. "Yup." Brady hopped again. "Do you want to hold my hand and be at the farmers market with me?"

Fiona's dimples popped again. "I do."

"Dad, you can hold my dinosaur while I hold Fiona's hand."

"Sure." Cam took the dinosaur as he kept his son's hand in his. "I didn't realize he was such a smooth operator."

Fiona laughed as she accepted Brady's opposite hand. "You can be whatever you want when you're adorable."

Cam chuckled as they began to walk. "I imagine this isn't how you planned to spend your day."

She shrugged. "I didn't have any solid plans. This is a nice surprise."

They turned the corner at the end of the block, and all three of them looked up when a sheep bleated in the distance and the smell of livestock became apparent.

Sheep and goats of various sizes and several pot-bellied pigs wandered around the temporary pens set up under a large tent as children and adults fed and touched the animals.

"The petting zoo," Fiona said. "Should we go say hello?"

Brady shook his head as he took a step back.

Fiona's brow furrowed as she looked at Cam.

"We had an incident last year. One of the goats knocked him over. He hasn't been a fan ever since."

Cam knelt next to his son as Brady eyed the animals. "You know, you're a lot bigger than you were last year."

Brady shook his head. "I don't want to pet them."

Fiona joined them, crouching at Brady's level, hooking her arm around his waist. "I heard you had a situation with a goat."

Brady nodded. "Yeah."

"I bet that felt pretty scary."

Brady nodded again.

"It's a bummer that happened because it's pretty fun to pet and feed the animals."

Brady sighed. "Yeah."

"When I was your age—whenever I felt nervous or scared—my mom would say magic words that helped me feel brave."

Brady frowned as he looked at her. "Magic words?"

Fiona nodded. "They felt like magic to me. Do you want to hear them?"

Brady nodded enthusiastically.

"This magic works by believing the words as you say them," she said as she captured both of his hands.

Brady's frown returned. "That sounds like weird magic."

Fiona laughed. "Let's see what you think." She cleared her throat, growing serious again. "I'm smart, and I'm brave. I can do anything. When I think that I can't, I'm going to try anyway."

She gave his hands another gentle squeeze. "Will you say them with me?"

Brady nodded. "I'm smart, and I'm brave," they said together. "I can do anything. When I think that I can't, I'm going to try anyway."

"One more time," Fiona said, repeating the words with Brady with more conviction. "Do you feel braver?"

He grinned. "Yup."

"Will you come say hello to the goats with me? They have some miniature ones right over there in the corner that seem pretty cute." She pointed to the closest corner of the fence. "And the pigs don't look too big. They look like babies, really."

"The big goats and sheep are in the other pen," Cam added.

Brady hesitated, then nodded. "Okay."

Fiona stood, still holding Brady's hand. "Okay."

Cam gained his feet, walking with them, impressed that Fiona's magic words had done the trick. "Let's go say hello."

Brady stopped. "Not you, Dad. Just me and Fiona."

Cam stopped short, holding up his hands as he huffed out a pained laugh. "I know who the chopped liver is around here."

Fiona laughed one of her big laughs as she kept walking with Brady, buying the goat food in a paper cup before they entered the pen.

Crouching down as one of the miniature goats approached them in the center, she petted him and then fed him some of the pellets on her flat hand.

Brady hesitantly petted the same goat, then stepped closer, clearly at ease as he smiled at the animal.

Fiona said something as she put food on Brady's hand, helping him keep his palm flat.

Brady laughed when the goat began to eat. "It tickles!"

Fiona grinned with obvious delight as she met Cam's gaze.

"Christ, you're beautiful," he muttered, adoring how her guard came down when Brady was around—how she was so warm and kind to his son.

Fiona gave her attention back to Brady. "You're doing awesome , buddy."

Brady nodded. "Yup."

She nuzzled her nose against his when he hooked his arm around the back of her neck while they beamed at each other.

Cam swallowed, recognizing the affectionate gesture, remembering how Fi used to do the same thing to him. He clenched his jaw, missing how things used to be—when Fi was easy and open with him.

And then there was a commotion as the interior fencing gave way, crashing to the ground. Soon, children were screaming and crying as the larger animals joined the smaller ones. Within seconds, Fiona and Brady were surrounded.

Immediately, Fiona picked Brady up when the animals shoved at them. "They like you so much they crashed through the gate to say hello," Fiona said over the chaos.

Brady grinned. "They really like me."

Fiona attempted to move toward the fence as the animals closed in tighter around them while the farmer righted the interior fencing, and another ran after two of the sheep that escaped with several of the children and their parents.

"Do you need a hand?" Cam asked.

She looked up. "I think we do."

Cam leaned into the pen, grabbing Brady. "Here we go," he said as he set him down outside the mess, realizing Fiona grew more trapped as the animals continued to surround her and the food she held.

Laughing, she threw the pellets in the opposite direction, but the animals didn't move. "That didn't work."

"Can you make it to the fence?" Cam asked her.

"Yes, I think so. But do you think it'll hold my weight if I try to climb over?"

He nodded. "Definitely. You're not that heavy."

She took a step, then let out a little squeal as she reached down when one of the large goats tried to take her sandal.

"Hey, goat! Don't eat Fiona's sandal!" Brady yelled. "Dad, save Fiona!"

"Stay right here," Cam said to Brady, handing off the stuffed dinosaur before he walked inside the pen, wading into the thick of things, holding out his hand to Fiona.

She took it. "I'm losing the battle." She winced. "They're stepping on my toes."

"Let's try this," he said, scooping her into his arms.

She smiled as she hooked her arm around the back of his neck. "Thank you."

"Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Mostly, I just need a shower. Sandals and animal poop aren't a great combination."

They both looked at her soiled feet.

"Yay, Dad! You're a super hero," Brady said, jumping up and down.

Cam struggled not to trip as he navigated around two dozen miniature and adult animals. "Did you hear that? I'm a superhero."

Fiona laughed.

He chuckled, loving that this was happening. Fi felt amazing in his arms. She smelled just as great despite their surroundings.

And then they made it to the exit.

Someone let them out, and he set her down. "Safe and sound."

She smiled. "Thank you, Cam."

Brady pulled on Fiona's hand. "My dad saved you."

"He definitely did."

"We should have some ice cream."

Fiona and Cam laughed.

"That sounds really awesome, buddy, but I can't right now. I need to go home."

Brady's bottom lip turned down. "But you're my best friend."

She nodded. "I am. But I have poop on my toes."

Brady looked down. " Eww !"

She laughed. "I know. I need a shower. And I think my shoes are going in the trash."

Cam took Brady's hand. "We'll have ice cream with Fiona some other time." And he planned to make sure that happened. "Thanks for reminding Brady that he's so brave."

"Anytime." She gently tapped Brady's nose. "I'll see you around, buddy."

"Bye, Fiona."

"Do you want us to walk you to your car?"

She shook her head. "I'm all set."

"Then I guess we'll go wash our hands and have some lunch. We'll see you."

"Okay. Bye."

And with that, Cam reluctantly turned, heading in the opposite direction with Brady toward the bathrooms.