Chapter Twenty-Two
Things weren't as difficultas he’d expected them to be when Devon woke up. He thought there would be several awkward moments where he had to either extract himself or explain himself.
But Chloe was no longer on the couch with him, or even in the room.
He made his way to the half bath by the front door, thinking about the night before as he used the restroom. Chloe was a warm weight on his chest he discovered he enjoyed. He didn't panic when she touched him, at least not past those first initial seconds. He wished he’d thought about her that way sooner, so he would have an idea how the fuck to feel about it. He knew he considered her a friend; he confided in her, and she didn't share anything he said with others. He knew his panic attacks calmed when she was near, and he felt soothed in her presence. Was that enough on which to build a foundation?
As he left the bathroom, he heard Hailey’s voice and discovered they were both in the kitchen. The sight of Chloe at the stove and his daughter working the toaster sent a warmth through the center of his chest.
“Good morning,” he said as he walked into the kitchen.
“Daddy.” More sedately than usual, Hailey crossed the room to hug him.
He looked down at her. “Feeling better?”
She nodded and wrapped her arms around his middle.
“That’s good. You slept for hours this time.”
“Chloe made me some tea and it stayed down, so we’re making breakfast. Something easy on my belly,” she said. She jiggled up and down on her toes, more like her usual bubbly self.
Devon ran a hand down his daughter’s neatly braided hair. “She’s a smart woman.”
“Thank you,” Chloe said as she turned off the burner and picked up a spatula. “Hailey, do you want to put the toast on the plates?”
“Yes.” Devon watched her get the little wooden tongs his father loved and pluck the toast from the slots.
Chloe and Hailey worked together to put food on three plates. Devon went to the coffeemaker and was ready to weep at the fresh pot he found. “Thank God for excellent coffee.”
“I knew you’d need it. It was late by the time you fell asleep.”
He paused with the spoon in mid-stir, slowly looking up at Chloe. “You fell asleep first.”
She only winked at him and carried the plates to the table.
He felt like he’d been punched in the gut. She was awake when she’d curled up on his chest. She knew he’d embraced her, that he’d sighed in utter contentment and drifted into a dreamless sleep.
Cheeks burning, he took his usual seat, staring at fluffy eggs and deciding he’d better eat before either of them thought something was wrong. Chloe chatted with Hailey about school, which she was returning to the following day. Trying to decide how he felt, Devon ate his eggs.
Chloe liked him. She wasn't there for Hailey, or not just her. Hailey liked Chloe a lot. His family liked her. He . . . okay, yes, he liked her. But to do something like, what, date her? He didn't know if he had it in him.
He thought of his father’s words and his opinion that first love was all-consuming but not necessarily the greatest love ever to exist. It felt like a betrayal to Kathy’s memory to even consider that someone else could be as important to him as she’d been. Still, as Caleb had pointed out, he was the one living. Kathy would not have wanted him to wallow in misery for the rest of his life, that he knew.
“Daddy, can we go to the cemetery today?”
His head came up. “Today?”
“Can Chloe come too?”
Devon sat back in his seat, attempting to formulate the words to let his daughter down gently.
“I wouldn't mind going with you,” Chloe said.
With the way she looked directly into his eyes, he wanted to squirm. “I guess we can. It’s been a while since we last went.”
