Did Jasper even miss her? Did he care? He sure didn’t call very often, and when he did, he rarely asked to talk to her.
Charlotte needed a daddy who loved her completely. She needed one who’d make sacrifices for her.
She needed…Noah. And Noah needed her.
He pulled on his favorite pair of jeans and a T-shirt, then stared at himself in the mirror.
What was he thinking? He couldn’t keep Charlotte, no matter how much he wanted to. Was he really going to challenge his own brother for custody? Their relationship was strained enough.
But Charlotte was more important.
Noah didn’t know what to do. He’d pray and follow God’s lead. That was his only choice.
Putting the idea out of his head for now, he headed downstairs. Normally, he’d go to his office to put in a couple hours of work before bed, but he didn’t have it in him tonight.
The front door was open, letting in the telltale creak of the swing.
Before he could talk himself out of it, he pushed through the screen door and stepped onto the porch.
The sun had set, Magnolia Street only lit by moonlight, and for a moment, he saw into the past. Mom and Dad, cuddled up like smitten teenagers, sharing secrets and ice cream. Noah used to enjoy seeing them in moments like that, together and in love. There was something so comforting about those times. They’d made him feel secure.
That was back when he was too little to understand how quickly security could unravel like threads on a cheap sweater.
The image faded, replaced by Miss Wright staring into the darkness. He could envision her face when he’d caught her watching him read to Charlotte, and he still couldn’t name her expression. Or maybe he just didn’t want to acknowledge it.
If he were smart, he’d turn around and go back inside.
But this was a day for celebrating. Today was for playing in the leaves in his suit and reading stories with silly voices.
Not the day for being smart.
“Mind if I join you?” He kept his voice soft, not wanting to disturb her if she didn’t welcome his company.
“Sure.” She scooted over to make room.
The swing dipped under his weight. He pushed off with his foot, and they rocked in silence, the squeak of the chains and the distant surf creating a soft symphony.
“She’s asleep. Hopefully, she’ll stay that way.”
“I heard her cry out the other night.”
“Mmm.” His niece had night terrors, something he’d never even heard of before she came to live with him. Though she seemed to be improving in other areas, the night terrors had not only not stopped, but they seemed more frequent.
“If you ever want me to handle it?—”
“It’s okay,” he said. “You need to sleep.”
“So do you. You’ve been burning the candle at both ends—and maybe holding a match to the middle.”
He chuckled. “Don’t worry about me. Besides, she’s not usually even awake when she does it. Once I go in there and hold her for a bit, she goes right back to sleep.” He hated thinking about what caused those terrors, but there was something sweet about how she relaxed in his arms. It mattered that she trusted him.
He’d do everything in his power to never betray that trust.
“Maybe she’ll sleep through tonight,” Miss Wright said. “She played hard today.”
“She does everything with her whole heart.” Charlotte reminded him so much of her father. Jasper had been like that, passionate and determined. But that was before. Noah didn’t understand the man his brother had become. “I never thought I’d be raising a child alone. Certainly not my brother’s.”
“You’re really good with her, you know.” Miss Wright’s gaze flicked to his, but she quickly averted it. “She adores you.”
