“When she called you that,” I continue, my voice shaking despite myself, “all I could see was her crying later. Asking where you went. Asking what she did wrong.”
His jaw tightens. “She wouldn’t think it was her fault.”
“I know,” I whisper. “But I would.”
He crosses the room in three quiet steps and stops beside the bed, careful not to wake Daisy.
“I don’t want to hurt her,” he says. “Or you.”
“I know,” I say again, because the truth is finally settling in. “And that’s the problem.”
He frowns slightly. “How is that a problem?”
I swallow hard. “Because I’ve been so focused on protecting her from pain that I forgot something important.”
He waits.
“She already loves you,” I say quietly. “And pushing you away didn’t protect her. It scared her.”
His breath stutters.
“I saw it in her eyes when you left the café,” I continue. “She didn’t understand. She thought she’d done something wrong.”
Pain flickers across his face, sharp and unmistakable. “I never wanted that.”
“I know,” I say. “And I finally understand that leaving wouldn’t make it better.”
I reach out, my fingers brushing his wrist. The contact is small, deliberate.
“Staying is the risk,” I say. “But it might also be the gift.”
His hand turns, covering mine gently, grounding me.
“I’m not perfect,” he says quietly. “I don’t know how to do this without messing up sometimes.”
I huff a weak laugh. “Join the club.”
He smiles faintly, then sobers. “But I’m not running. Not from you. Not from her.”
My eyes burn.
“I believe you,” I say, and the words feel like something sacred.
“But I’ll give you more time,” he says. “I’ll give you the space you need.”
I nod, swallowing past a lump in my throat. I wish I could tell him how long it’ll take for me to get past this fear of losing everything I care about again. He deserves better than me and my old bullshit.
Daisy stirs then, her lashes fluttering as she blinks awake.
“Mom?” she murmurs.
“I’m here, baby.”
She turns her head, squinting. “Brendon?”
“I’m right here,” he says immediately, stepping closer.
She smiles, small and sleepy. “I had a dream you were a firefighter and a teacher and you made pancakes.”
