“Make sure you have everything you want to bring to Mallory’s ready to go. I’ll get ready for work now so we can get something to eat on the way.”
A small smile spread across her face before she left him standing alone in the kitchen. The kid was too smart. She’d managed to shut him down by pointing out things he wasn’t ready to hear. He wouldn’t bring a fling around his daughter, and she knew it. He knew it, too, even if he wasn’t ready to admit it to himself.
It took the entire drive from the restaurant for Chris to convince himself that he was capable of walking Lily all the way to Mallory’s door. Even if he wasn’t ready to face her, it would be rude not to walk her up. She was, after all, doing him a favor by keeping an eye on her.
He took a deep steadying breath before giving her door a light rap. Mallory opened the door and stood back to let Lily inside. She was wearing a pair of black leggings and a thin gray Henley with the first few buttons open. Her hair was piled into a messy bun, and he was instantly reminded of the lazy mornings they’d spent together, sipping coffee and enjoying each other’scompany. It took everything in him to keep from touching her. Instead, he reminded himself why he was there.
“Thanks,” he said softly. “I have some sick days if—"
“No,” she interrupted. “It’s fine. Have a good night.”
Before he could say anything else, he found himself staring at her door once again. He couldn’t be upset after the way he left the night before. When she texted him to make sure Lily was still coming over, he told himself it was a good sign, that she understood why he’d been upset, that she’d be there when he was ready to talk to her again.
Was he ready to talk to her? He wasn’t sure what he wanted. The only thing he was certain about was the need to talk to Dan. Glancing at his watch, he saw he still had quite a bit of time before he had to head to work. Just enough time to make a quick stop at the apartment downstairs.
Dan opened the door far enough to lean in the doorway with his arms folded across his chest. It was obvious he was less than happy to see him.
“Do you have a few minutes?” Chris asked.
“I have several minutes, but what makes you think they’re for you?”
Chris swallowed hard. Things already weren’t going well. “I was hoping I could talk to you about Lily.”
Dan snorted. “Oh,nowyou want to talk about Lily. Seems to me the time to talk about her was last night.”
Shit. Dan was Mallory’s best friend. Of course, she’d talked to him about what happened. They had coffee together every morning. All he could do was throw honesty at the man and hope he would hear him out.
Chris glanced toward the stairs and lowered his voice. “I just need to know what’s going on so I can figure this shit out.”
Reluctantly, Dan opened the door the rest of the way and stepped aside. Chris walked inside and closed the door before following Dan into the kitchen.
“You look like shit,” Dan said as he pressed start on the coffee maker. “Good thing I get the coffee set up after I clean the pot in the morning.”
“Thanks?” Chris wasn’t sure if he should acknowledge the insult or thank the man in advance for the coffee.
“So, what can I help you with?” Dan asked, finally breaking the silence, once they both had a mug of coffee in hand.
“I need to know why Lily doesn’t want to go back home with her mom. This isn’t something simple like trading holidays. This will end up a big thing and I need to know why.”
Dan was quiet for a moment, and it was obvious he was choosing how to respond. Chris shifted his feet but kept quiet. Rambling wouldn’t do him any good. Dan was going to say whatever it was he was going to say.
“You love your daughter.”
It wasn’t a question. He wasn’t sure if or how to respond, so he nodded and waited for Dan to continue.
“Do you want her to live with you?” He really got right to the point.
“It’s not about what I want. That’s why I need to know.”
Dan held up his hand to stop him from speaking. “If you love her and want her with you as much as she wants to be here, then why do you need to know anything else. She’s had a break from whatever it is that’s going on back home and still wants to be here. You are a fit parent and she’s old enough to know what she wants. Fight for her.”
“Do you know what’s going on with her?” Chris asked plainly. He didn’t have time to dance around the subject.
“That’s not important.”
Chris slammed his mug down on the counter. He wasn’t there to play games and could feel anger getting the best of him. “If you know what’s going on, you need to fucking tell me. She’s my daughter.”
Dan calmly set his cup down and crossed his arms. “If you came here to intimidate me into telling you anything, you might as well leave now.”
