Page 47 of Love and Landscape (Rockland Falls 3)

“You do that,” she replies as she follows me onto the porch, closing and locking the door behind her as she goes.

Heading to my truck, I find Max kneeling on the driver’s seat, wheel in hand and pretending to drive. “Did you obey all the stop signs?” I ask my happy four-year-old.

“I wasn’t really driving, Daddy,” Max laughs, the sound a balm that soothes my soul.

“Well, that’s good. I don’t recall you getting a license,” I say opening up the door to the back seat. “Climb over so I can get you strapped in.”

“Bye bye, Maxi. Mommy loves you,” Ashley sings over my shoulder as I get our son buckled into his booster seat.

“Bye, Mommy! Love you!”

Ashley doesn’t acknowledge me, and that’s okay. I’m more than ready to get out of here. Max and I have the day together, and I know just what we should do. We’re going to grab the tee ball stuff and head to the park. I can pack a small cooler with a few peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and bottles of water. We’ll make a morning out of it, swinging, sliding, and running the bases. Then, after lunch, we can head back to my place so we can get cleaned up and maybe relax a bit before I have to pick up Kate.

This day is definitely looking up.