“She looks…amazing. Healthy and happy. When I first got her from her grandmother, she barely spoke. Last night, she was a little chatterbox.” He grinned, his face lighting up.
If he felt that way, then why wasn’t he the one taking care of her?
He motioned to the table. “Have a seat.”
She did, choosing the seat nearest the window where she usually ate her breakfast beside Charlotte. Chilled, Delaney wrapped both hands around her mug. “She’s made a lot of progress.”
“I assume I have you to thank for most of that.”
“You assume wrong, Mr. Aylett?—”
“—Jasper.”
“Your brother is amazing with her. As busy as he is, he makes her breakfast every single day, he’s always home for dinner, and he’s even managed to come to her dance lessons a couple of times. He’s a natural father.”
“Uncle,” Jasper corrected, all charm leached from his tone.
“All the more impressive, don’t you think?” Delaney usually kept her opinions to herself when it came to the families she worked for, but she didn’t work for this one anymore. And this…this neglectful father, this man who fought against the idea of caring for his daughter for a couple of weeks, hadn’t earned and didn’t deserve her respect.
He sighed, his shoulders dropping a little. “Look, I know what you think of me. It’s the same thing my brother thinks. But it’s complicated.”
Delaney took another sip of her coffee, using the moment to study Charlotte’s father. There was something in his eyes—a flicker of pain, maybe—that made her wonder if there was more to his story.
“I spend a lot of time on the water these days.” Jasper’s voice was softer now. “Sailing mostly. Some fishing. It’s where I do my best thinking.”
Where he did his best avoiding responsibilities, more likely.
She could see the resemblance to Charlotte in the shape of Jasper’s eyes, the curve of his smile when he wasn’t forcing it. But where Charlotte’s features held innocence and wonder, Jasper’s held something harder to define—worldliness, and maybe regret.
“She has your smile,” Delaney said.
“You think so?”
“When she’s truly happy, yes.”
He nodded slowly, as if filing away this information. “Noah’s an idiot for letting you go.”
She wasn’t sure what to say to that, so she kept her mouth shut.
“You don’t look happy about it, either,” he added.
Delaney wasn’t about to discuss her feelings with this man she’d just met.
“Where are you going?”
“Home. To Maine.”
“You don’t have a car here?”
“It was totaled, and I never got around to buying another one.”
Footsteps preceded Noah into the kitchen. “I left your suitcase outside your bedroom door,” he said. “And I added a second one since you’ve bought some things since you’ve been here. You can just keep it.” His tone was carefully neutral. “Let me know when you’re ready, and I’ll drive you to the airport.”
“Thank you.” The formality between them felt wrong after everything they’d been through.
Jasper watched their interaction with curious eyes. “So, brother, aren’t you going to ask why I’m back? Or are you just happy to have a convenient babysitter?”
Noah’s jaw tightened as he took his seat. “It’s not called ‘babysitting’ when it’s your own child. And I’m pretty sure I asked last night, but you refused to answer.”
