Chapter 82

Lauren's POV

“And how was school today?” I asked, as I scooped her up from the ground. She let out a squeal of laughter, her small arms wrapping tightly around my neck as I lifted her and settled her onto my lap.

“We didn’t really do much in school today,” she answered matter-of-factly, her tiny legs swinging back and forth as she leaned against me. “We just did some drawings and that was all.”

Her voice — high-pitched, innocent, yet so full of life brought an automatic smile to my lips. Every time she spoke, it was like the sound wrapped itself around my chest and squeezed gently, reminding me of what truly mattered. When she grinned up at me, I caught sight of the gap where two of her front teeth used to be, the little broken spaces that had come from her obsession with sweets. I had warned her a hundred times, but of course, she hadn’t listened. Children rarely do.

Still, even those missing teeth only made her cuter. Staring down at her pe