Avery’s eyes lit up, and she straightened in her seat. “Really? What did she say?”
“She reminded me that she’d love to look after you.”
The kid wriggled in her seat like she couldn’t control her excitement. “Did you say yes?”
“I told her I’d let her know.”
“Oh, please, Daddy! The day Mom fired her was the worst day of my life.”
A pulse beat at his temple. “Do you know why your mother stopped having her watch you?”
“No.” She tilted her head as she spiraled some pasta onto her fork. “But the last night she watched me, I woke up to them fighting.” Her brows pinched.
“Did you hear what they said?”
She shook her head, the corners of her lips tilting down. “Mom just told me the next day she wouldn’t be watching me anymore, and she didn’t seem to care how much I needed her.”
Need…not want. “I’m sorry, princess.”
She nibbled her bottom lip. “I like Mrs. Hanley, but I like Sadie more.”
Their neighbor, Mrs. Hanley, often cared for her when he had a late shift at work. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Avery squealed and jumped off her seat to round the table. Her little arms wrapped around his waist. He held his daughter close, feeling so damn lucky to have her.
For the rest of dinner, Avery sat on his lap while they ate, and she told him every detail of her day. About her friends and her teacher and a show-and-tell she did. He could listen to her talk all night.
Afterward, they worked together to clean up and get ready for bed. It wasn’t until he’d read her a few chapters of her bedtime book and she was tucked under her sheets that she yawned and turned to him.
“You promise you’ll message Sadie?”
He brushed a lock of hair from her face. “I promise.”
She yawned before closing her eyes. “Thank you, Daddy. I love you.”
Those words…they did things to him that nothing and no one had ever done to him before. He lowered his head and kissed her temple. “I love you too, princess.”
He didn’t leave her room straight away, instead staying by her bed as her breaths evened out while studying every intricate detail of her little face.
Even though he and Jamie hadn’t been together, the second Avery was born, he’d fallen in love with his daughter and knew she was the reason Jamie had been brought into his life for that brief moment in time.
He lowered his head and pressed a final kiss to her temple before turning off the bedside lamp and moving out of her room. The second he was in the living room, his gaze shot to his phone.
Screw it.
He lifted the cell and searched for her number.
Sadie steppedout of Sugar and Spice. It was late. Well, late for leaving the store. She’d stayed for a few hours after closing to do a big deep clean of the shop, something that was way overdue. The ovens, the counters,underthe counters…even the long glass display case. Her grandmother was getting older, and Sadie knew ifshedidn’t do these things, her grandmother would hurt or exhaust herself trying.
After locking the door, she glanced at the liquor store next door. She wasn’t a big drinker, but apple sours were her weakness.
What the hell.
She stepped into the store and found the bourbon section. There weren’t a lot of options for bourbon. Fine with her. She knew almost nothing about alcohol, and if she added enough juice, all her apple sours tasted the same.
She grabbed a random bottle and turned to the counter. The empty counter, that was. In fact, the entire store was empty.
Strange.Andthere was no buzzer or bell.
