Ilsa leaned closer to me. “Can we look at the room?”
I nodded, watching as she slid her shoe off, and we headed upstairs. The hallway was small as you got upstairs. It led to five different doors, all of which were open. The bathroom was the first door. It was a matching blue to downstairs with a glass shower. The first bedroom was dark, but you could see the bed and matching dresser. I knew it was Brandon’s and kept walking, not bothering to snoop.
Ilsa paused at the door down the hallway. It was a large room that was painted a light pink. Ilsa’s bed was already set up. There was her small dresser sitting next to it, and the rest of the space was empty.
I frowned, suddenly wishing I had more items for her. She lived in such a small place before that we didn’t have the space to have a ton of toys.
“It’s big,” I said, watching as she walked over to the window that had a built-in reading nook. “Look, there’s an apple tree outside.”
I nodded, feeling a tug in my heart. I bit back tears and shook my head.
“Do you want to start unpacking your clothes and your Barbies?”
She smiled eagerly as she moved to her boxes. I walked back down the hallway, pausing at the door across from Brandon’s. I flick the light on, taking in my room. It was a light peach-colored room with three large windows. My bed sat in front of the windows with my dresser sitting next to it. There were boxes of stuff, but the room itself was bigger than my previous one.
I flicked the light off, not wanting to look at it. I headed down the stairs and found that Kaleb was leaving. My entirebody tensed up as Brandon shut the door and paused when he spotted me.
He gave me a nervous smile. “Thoughts?”
“I didn’t expect you to buy a house like this.”
He looked at me, confused. “What do you mean?”
I shrugged as I walked down the rest of the stairs, coming to the landing. “They have lots of new builds. I figured you would want one of those.”
Brandon shook his head. “No, besides, I thought you and Ilsa would like this one better. It’s near the school, and she will be in school before we know it. It has a fenced-in backyard, and it’s secure. Updated kitchen and bathroom, finished basement to do with what we want.”
I realized he hadn’t bought this house for his own needs, but rather for ours. I couldn’t help but feel a little touched by it.
Which brought up the questions. “What did you come back now? After three years?”
He shrugged. “I felt it was time.”
I scowled, hating that answer. “And what two years weren’t enough?”
He walked into the kitchen. “Does Ilsa have any eating restrictions?”
“You’re changing the subject,” I grumbled as I sat down on a chair.
“Because there is no point in continuing it. I felt it was time to return home and assume the role of Alpha. It’s simple.”
I frowned, hating how callous he sounded. For a moment, I had thought maybe he had changed, but he hadn’t. He was still the same person he had been before.
“She eats anything,” I said, chewing on my lower lip. I watched as he moved, his shoulders rolled as he leaned, and the way his back arched when he turned. I felt that tug to be near him, and I hated it. I hated how, after all these years, it was still there.
Brandon turned and tapped his hands on the counter. “Does she have favorite snacks?”
“Cherry tomatoes. You can’t have enough of those in the house. You have to cut them up in half, though, otherwise she thinks she can eat them whole, but she can’t.”
He nodded, taking that in.
“I was thinking of going and getting groceries since we don’t have any. I just want to get stuff I know she will snack on.”
I then noticed he was nervous. He kept shifting on his feet, kept moving. I felt the knot in my stomach, hating that I had caused it. He knew nothing about his child, knew nothing about her as a person.
“She isn’t a picky eater. The only thing she won’t eat is seafood, but I think that’s just because she’s so young still.”
He nodded, tapping his hand again on the counter. “Alright. I’ll go get groceries, and you guys can unpack everything.” He smiled at me, and I felt my heart skip a beat. My damn old heart hadn’t learned the first time.
