Sophia looks over her shoulder at me nervously. I give her a soft smile and nod once at her. “That’s why you wanted me to come over, right? So I could be here in case you needed help?”
She nods at me and turns her head back to her dad. “I just don’t know why Mommy always leaves. Why doesn’t she love me like you do? Or Uncle Connor and the rest of the Bobcats? They always come over to play with me. She never does.”
I can see the sadness in Niko’s eyes as he digests Sophia’s words. I don’t remember being that young but I do remember wondering the same thing when I was a kid. Hell, I remember my siblings asking me almost the exact same question.“Why don’t mom and dad love us as much as they love going to work?”I swear one of them would ask me that once a week.
My heart breaks for Sophia just like it did for my siblings back then. This is a cruel reminder of how hard we all had it as kids, never seeing our parents. I always had to be the bad guy. The grown-up. Even though I was only a few years older than them myself.
They all were so desperate for our parents’ love, they grew up to be exactly what they wanted them to be. Three of them became lawyers while the other two became surgeons. None of them understood me, just like my parents never understood me. I was an outcast. The black sheep. I was the one who paved my own path and they all thought I was crazy for it.
Niko’s gentle voice pulls me from my dark memories.
“Baby girl, your mom loves you in her own way. It might not be the same way I do, or Uncle Connor does. Or even Mummo and Pappa. But she loves you the best way she can. I just don’t think she knows how to love big like the rest of us.”
I can tell Niko is struggling to find the right words to make a four-year-old understand. How can you even explain that sort of thing?
He reaches out and lifts Sophia’s chin with his finger, forcing her to look up instead of down at her hands. “I want you to hear me when I say this, Sophia. Your mom leaving has nothing to do with you. You are perfect.” His words remind me of Ellie’s from the other day and it has my eyes misting over.
Sophia’s voice is quiet when she finally speaks. “Then why does she always leave?”
Niko shakes his head. “I don’t know, Sophia. I wish I knew. But I am not going anywhere. Ever. Do you hear me? I will always be here for you.”
Sophia reaches out and wraps her arms around her dad’s neck. Niko picks her up and holds her tightly against him.
“I’m going to go give her a bath and put her to bed. It’s been a long day and she didn’t get a nap today because of the game.”
Realizing how completely out of place I am right now, I stand abruptly and pull my phone out of my pocket. “Of course. I’ll call an Uber and get out of your way.”
I’m mid-scroll, about to tap for an Uber ride, when his fingers briefly brush mine as he takes my phone from myhands. The touch is light, almost casual, but it sends a ripple up my arm before I can stop it.
“You’re not in the way. It won’t take me more than fifteen minutes. I’d like you to stay if you’re up for it.”
My mouth hangs open and I struggle to make sense of what he just asked me. He wants me to stay? Here?
Niko hands me my phone back and laughs. “So we can talk.” He nods to Sophia who’s resting her head on his shoulder.
Of course. He wants to talk about Sophia. Duh.
“Right. Yeah, I’ll stay.”
He stares at me, unmoving, for a few seconds. I’m not sure if he doesn’t believe me or he’s trying to figure out why I’m acting so nervous.
Don’t mind me. I just thought you were inviting me to stay the night.Gosh, I’m a moron.
Finally, his feet start moving toward the stairs. I release a deep exhale, trying to calm my nerves.
I’m about to clean up the bowls of ice cream when I hear a little voice behind me.
“Good night, Miss Sadie. Love you.”
It took an extra bedtime story to settle Sophia after her exciting day. She couldn’t stop talking about how much she loves Miss Sadie.
The last thing she said before she drifted off to sleep replays through my mind as I make my way down the steps.
“I wish I could hang out with Miss Sadie all the time.”
Little does my four-year-old know that I wish the same thing.
I’ve been around Sadie a few times, more so now that she’s at the rink working with the guys most days. Ever since our time together at the bar, I find myself seeking her out often. I may not know her extremely well yet, but I’ve been around her enough to know that Iwantto spend more time with her.
