Over the next hour, Eastern tried like hell to concentrate on preparing dinner and not burning anything else, but every time Sadie smiled or laughed or pushed that lock of hair behind her ear, he was too fucking distracted. She offered to help half a dozen times, but he always declined, and honestly, he preferred watching her play and bond with Avery.
Their connection was like none he’d seen between his daughter and anyone else. Sadie looked at Avery like she was the center of her world, and Avery looked just as in love with Sadie.
When they finally sat down for dinner, Avery was still speaking at a million miles an hour, telling Sadie about all the kids at school. Her teacher. Even what she’d eaten for lunch.
When Sadie finally got a word in, she looked up at Eastern. “This is delicious.”
One side of his mouth lifted. “I’m not just a pretty face.”
Avery’s face screwed up. “Boys aren’t pretty, Daddy.”
“I think boys can be pretty,” Sadie said.
“No. Girls are pretty. Boys are handsome. Or strong.” She gave Eastern an assessing look. “You’re definitely strong.”
He bit back a laugh “But not handsome?”
“Ew! I can’t call my dad handsome!” She turned to Sadie. “Scott was a little bit handsome.”
The smile fell from Eastern’s face and his muscles tensed, while Sadie’s fork stopped halfway to her mouth.
Avery angled her body toward Sadie. “Why did you break up?”
“Avery—”
“No, it’s okay,” Sadie said quickly, cutting him off. “We broke up because we realized we didn’t love each other the way we were supposed to.”
“How are you supposed to love someone to marry them?” Avery asked.
Sadie gave her a soft smile. “Well…and this is just my opinion…you should love them so much that the idea of spending the rest of your life together excites you. You don’t always have to like each other, but even on your hardest days, you should never question whether or not they’ll always be there for you. You should just know you’re in it together, good or bad.”
Her brow furrowed. “And you didn’t feel that with Scott?”
“No, baby girl. I didn’t.”
“Then why’d you move to Atlanta and almost marry him?”
That question took a bit more time for Sadie to answer, and again, he wanted to step in and tell her she didn’t need to respond, but a part of him wanted to know as much as Avery.
“Because sometimes we get so used to what we know, and maybe a bit scared of what our lives would be like if they were different, that we just…ignore the warning signs.”
Avery frowned, and a second passed before she nodded. “I’m glad you stopped ignoring the warning signs and came back.”
The smile that spread Sadie’s lips was wide and genuine. “Me too, baby girl.” Her eyes met Eastern’s. “Me too.”
CHAPTER 12
Sadie watched as Eastern read the book to Avery. She’d read the first chapter, and now Eastern was on the second.
The story was about a ten-year-old girl who had an albino Irish wolfhound. Every time the dog in the book barked, Eastern screwed up his face and did the most realistic bark Sadie had ever heard. Everyone laughed, especially Avery.
They sat on either side of Avery on her bed, with just the bedside table night light offering a dull glow over the room. There was something about being here, listening to Eastern’s voice and Avery’s laughter, that made her feel so…content. Like everything that had happened over the last month had been worth it because it had led her here, exactly where she was meant to be.
This was all she’d ever wanted. Family. Love.
But this wasn’t her family. Something she needed to remind herself.
She swallowed, forcing her mind to switch off and focus on the story.
