“That’s not funny.” Blue bites her lip to try to stop her smile.
“Okay, fine.” She shakes her head, all humor vanishing. “How are you going to tell Claire?”
Cupping my face in my hands, I groan loudly. “I don’t know. I guess I’ll just be honest with her.”
“Well, I’m here for you both.” Blue rubs her hand on my back. “That’s why I came, after all.”
On cue, as if summoned by the mere mention of her name, Claire comes running down the hallway out of her room with Winston chasing after her. She jumps into Blue’s lap, giving her a hug before she turns to look at me. The expression on my face must give me away because her brows furrow as she glances between the two of us.
“What’s going on?”
Blue lifts Claire off her lap and stands, placing her where she had been sitting. Giving me a weak smile, she nods before she slips into the kitchen. I take a deep breath and turn to my daughter, crossing my legs and tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.
“Do you remember a while ago when I asked you to trust me, and that I’d tell you everything I thought you needed to know?” Claire nods. “Your father isn’t going to be around for a long time, sweetheart.”
“Why?” There’s a deep crease between her brows that I reach a finger out and soothe away.
“Well, baby—” I hesitate, taking a deep breath. “Some things happened, some things I don’t think you’re old enough to know yet, but he… he got in trouble.”
She bites her lip, deep in thought. “Did he get arrested?” I nod. “So, he’s in jail?”
“Yeah, baby,” I breathe, smoothing down her hair as I fight to keep the tears at bay. “And I don’t know when we’ll be seeing him again.”
Instead of responding, she throws her arms around my neck, hugging me tightly. I wrap one arm around her waist, the other cupping the back of her head as she buries her face into the crook of my neck. We sit there like that for a minute or so before she pulls back, but she doesn’t release her hold on me.
“I miss him,” she whispers, and my heart clenches as a lone tear falls.
“I know, baby.” I give her a sad smile, tucking more of her hair behind her ear. “But I want you to know that I will always, always be here for you. I can never replace your dad, but I will do everything in my power to make you the happiest little girl in the world, okay?”
Claire shakes her head, frowning. “I mean Levi.”
“Oh, honey.” My breath catches in my throat.
“He’s not going away too, is he?”
I pull her back against me, my eyes growing misty as I blink rapidly. She sniffles into my shoulder and my heart constricts. Blue peeks around the corner, her hand on her chest as she watches the two of us. Before I can think of something to say, my phone rings on the coffee table. Claire peels herself away from me but stays close as Blue walks into the living room and sits on the other side of her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
“This is Marlowe,” I answer, not recognizing the number of the caller ID.
“This is a collect call from?—”
“Travis Monroe.”
My heart skips a beat as his deep voice comes on before the automated message continues. “Press one if you accept the charges.”
I press one before I can stop myself, pushing myself off the couch and heading down the hall to my bedroom to take the call in private. Closing the door behind me, I sit on the bed just as he starts to speak.
“I didn’t think you’d answer, let alone accept.”
“I may be mad, but I’m not cruel.” Glancing out the window, I watch the snowflakes fall gently onto the city below. “What do you want, Travis?”
He sighs, and I can imagine him running his fingers through his long blonde hair. “Can I see you?”
“Travis—”
“I just… I really don’t want to do this over the phone. Please?”
Biting my lip, I know there’s no other answer but yes. It’s time for me to finally say goodbye. “When?”
