“We wanted to make you breakfast,” explained Hailey, “but we didn’t know how to, so we started playing food war instead.”
“What in the HELL is going on here?”
The heavy thud of footsteps preceded Liam’s furious arrival in thekitchen. He surveyed the chaos, his chest heaving. His eyes locked on Sunny, seemingly the ringleader as she held a laughing Hailey aloft.
“Mr Anderson, Liam, I can explain,” she began, registering the fury in his eyes.
“Save it,” he snapped, eyeing her with barely concealed disdain. “I wasn’t born yesterday. The kids need discipline, not chaos. If you spent more time being their caregiver instead of trying to be their friend, you wouldn’t have to stoop to their level.”
His words struck like a slap. Sunny’s mouth went dry as she gently set Hailey on the ground.
The girls froze, their giggles silenced by their dad’s stern glare.
Hurt, humiliation, and anger washed over Sunny in equal measure.
“Excuse me,” she choked out, facing Liam. “You think I encouraged this?”
“It certainly looks that way from where I’m standing,” he replied.
Sunny opened her mouth to protest, but then she noticed the girls in her peripheral vision. They were still rooted in place, eyes wide with what seemed like fear.
She couldn’t do it. Preserving her ego by arguing would only upset the two little ones further. With tears stinging her eyes, she pushed past Liam toward the back door. She needed to escape his disapproving, judgmental gaze. So much for bringing warmth to this fractured home.
Twenty minutes later, Sunny was still fuming as she paced the concrete paths of the garden. Though calling it a ‘garden’ was an understatement; the area behind the house resembled a mini-forest.
With maple leaves crunching beneath her feet, she struggled to sort through her swirling emotions. Her eyes were still wet with warm tears.
How dare Liam speak to her like that! Who did he think he was?More importantly, who did he think she was? He had treated her like some kind of deviant harpy intent on creating disorder. The sheer audacity of it! Did he have no understanding of the connection she had forged with the kids? The house was slowly beginning to thaw from what felt like an ice age.
Part of her wanted to quit on the spot. To hell with the money. To hell with the opportunity. Liam was miserable and determined to make everyone around him equally miserable. How could she continue like this? She had to consider her own mental well-being.
But then, the tiny, wounded expressions on those sweet girls’ faces flashed in her mind. They had been enjoying such an innocent, joyful moment before their dad imposed his authority. While Sunny disapproved of the mess they had created, the fact that the girls had tried to do something kind for her tugged at her heartstrings.
Walking out on them now would only punish the girls. She remembered what Maddie had said when they first met: “Are you going to be our new bossy babysitter?” What if they ended up with someone bossy or mean? A disciplinarian devoid of empathy ruling over these emotionally fragile children. The thought broke her heart.
Then there was Liam. It seemed he only knew anger and despair, which threatened to engulf the entire family. There were no easy answers or simple paths forward. So, she decided to trust her instincts.
Sunny squared her shoulders and turned on her heel, marching back toward the house. She wasn’t going to give up. No way.
Sunny
“Daddy, when are you coming home?”
Hailey’s voice trembled with longing.
Sunny could hear Liam’s resigned sigh through the phone’s speaker as she struggled to get Maddie into her pajamas.
“Just one night, peanut,” Liam reassured her. “Then I’ll be right back. I promise.”
He had been called on short notice by the CEO of the Kansas City Coyotes to help secure a sponsorship deal with a major soft drinks brand. The team’s management believed that Liam’s presence could provide the star power needed to finalize negotiations taking place in South Dakota, which meant he would have to stay overnight.
This unexpected turn of events offered both Sunny and Liam a chance to catch their breath after their tense conversation the day before. However, Liam was on edge; it was the first night he had spent away from the kids since Kate’s passing, and the girls were feeling their father’s absence.
Hailey let out a soft whimper. Sunny glanced at her, concern etched across her face, while Maddie seemed to be handling the situation better.
“Hey, Sunny tells me she’s planned a movie night,” Liam coaxed. “That sounds like so much fun. You won’t even notice I’m gone.”
Hailey managed a reluctant smile at that.
