Her eyes were still wary, but her lips pulled into a smile at my approval.
“Let’s wash your face and brush your teeth, and then we can get dressed and get some breakfast, yeah?”
She nodded and brushed past me, walking right into the bathroom across the hall. Other than choosing not to speak, she was fully capable of taking care of herself, most of the time without being asked. The request was more for me than for her. I listened to her movements, trying like hell to ignore the humming that somehow seemed to drift down the hall and right into my ears.
Ten minutes later, Zoya was dressed and reaching for my hand, a move that never failed to make my cold, cynical heart feel something. Once I left the SEALs and lost so many good men, I left that part of myself behind. I took to civilian life with the belief that love was a weakness, that caring for people was aliability that would get you killed, but I always forgot that lesson when it came to my little girl.
The minute she spotted Eliana sitting in the kitchen, Zoya dropped my hand and rushed to her, tugging on the bright yellow sweater with orange flowers all over it. She looked like sunshine in human form. Eliana never stopped what she was doing as she looked down at Zoya with a genuine, bright smile. “Good morning, Zoya.”
In response, my daughter smiled and waved.
It wasn’t talking but it was open communication, which I guessed was a win.
“Hey Sledge,” she offered in a far more subdued tone though her smile was so bright it went straight up to her eyes.
“Mornin’,” I grunted in response.
She laughed in response before turning back to Zoya. “I hope you brought your appetite because I have a treat for you.”
Zoya’s mouth opened but no words came out.
“Yep, I know,” Eliana nodded. “Who doesn’t love a surprise?” The way she answered as if Zoya had actually said something was impressive, and it took the pressure off. “Go on and hop up in a chair and I’ll bring it to you.”
Zoya did as she was told, taking a sip of apple juice when she was settled, Hoppy clutched under one arm. She waited patiently, her eyes fixed on the table.
Eliana returned and placed a bowl in front of Zoya.
I peeked into the bowl and frowned. “What the hell is that?”
“Breakfast.” Her tone was calm, almost casual, which did nothing to ease the irritation crawling up my spine.
I snorted. “That looks like something crawled out of a health magazine and died.”
She shot me a look, one brow lifting. “It’s a smoothie bowl.”
Zoya stared at it like it might explode.
I leaned back against the counter, folding my arms. “She usually has Frosty Puffs,” I shrugged. “Or Unicorn Swirls. She likes the ones with the little pink, purple, and blue marshmallows.”
Eliana’s mouth twitched, like she was fighting a smile. “Unicorn Swirls,” she repeated. “Of course she does.”
“What?” I bristled automatically. “It’s cereal. Kids eat cereal.”
“They do, and if it gets her to eat in the morning, I get why you go with it. But it’s mostly sugar, there’s little nutritional value.”
That… took some of the wind out of me. My daughter loved her Unicorn Swirls cereal. Sure, Eliana’s smoothie bowl was colorful, but was that fucking bits of fruit I saw? I tried to get Zoya to eat fruit on the regular, but other than bananas or the occasional slice of apple, she hated it.
“She’s picky,” I muttered defensively. “Has been for years. I figured something she actually wants is better than fighting her every damn meal.”
Eliana nodded, stepping closer to the counter. “That makes sense. Especially with everything she’s been through.”
I glanced at her, surprised by the lack of accusation.
She gestured towards the bowl. “I’m not saying you’re doing anything wrong, Sledge. I just thought I’d try something different. See if she’d go for it.”
“And if she doesn’t?”
“Then she doesn’t,” Eliana said simply. “No harm done.”
