He sighed but nodded. “All right. I trust your judgment about this. However, this character she has created has always made me uneasy. I guess it is my fatherly instinct that tells me so.”
Marina smiled. Before their wedding, she never would have thought to hear him utter a phrase as sentimental as ‘fatherly instinct’. She was glad to be getting more out of him now.
“I do not think it is something to worry about. Not in the way you are, at least.”
He arched an eyebrow. “How am I worrying about it?”
“Mr. E makes you want to add more structure to her life to crowd out her imagination, while also keeping her home, where she is safe.”
“Yes,” he said slowly. “Of course, I want to keep my daughter safe. From real threats and imaginary ones.”
“You’ve done a good job of that,” Marina said. “You have done everything you can to protect her. But now she is overprotected.”
“There is no such thing,” he said.
“She’s lonely. That’s why she created Mr. E—who is just you, by the way. You’re her imaginary friend.”
He sighed. “I suppose she is.”
Marina stared at him, stunned. “You are admitting it?”
“Yes, I tend to change my mind when there is evidence saying I’m wrong.” He gave her a sheepish smile. “It is probably no coincidence that she invited you for tea after attending tea with your sisters. That night, she had also asked me why I was allowed to have friends over, but she could not.”
“So, we should make arrangements, then,” Marina said eagerly. “There must be other children her age that she can have playdates with.”
He looked thoughtful, but he nodded. “I shall think about the best way to go about it. But yes, I think some children her own age will benefit her.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Two nights after his conversation with Marina, Evan was up late, as usual, looking at his watch. Lilly still had nightmares. But for the past few nights, she had not screamed in her sleep. Instead, she would whimper, and shortly after waking up, she would be calm enough to go back to sleep.
The nightmares were at least milder, even if they were not gone, and for that, he had Marina to thank.
But tonight, Lilly’s shrill scream pierced the air, and a heavy weight plunged into his stomach at the sound of it. He took off running to his daughter’s room.Today was like any other. What could have made her nightmares so bad again?
When he arrived at Lilly’s bedroom door, he was surprised to see Marina already there. She leveled him with a look that dared him to send her away.
He would do no such thing. If Lilly’s nightmares were coming back like this, then she needed Marina with her.
He opened the door and stood to the side to let Marina into the room.
Marina sat on the edge of the bed and gently grabbed Lilly’s hand. “Lilly, sweetheart. It’s time to wake up.” Her gentle voice crooned.
Evan walked around to the opposite side of the bed and mimicked Marina’s posture by sitting on the edge of it. He grabbed his daughter’s other hand. “Lilly. It’s time to wake up.”
Her eyes fluttered open as she shot straight up into a sitting position. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, and the sight of them made Evan’s heart hurt.
Lilly looks at Evan for a moment before looking at Marina. “M-marina?”
“I’m here, sweetheart,” she said softly. “You’re safe.” She pulled the little girl into her arms.
Lilly inhaled sharply from the hug, and then she buried her face in Marina’s shoulder as she wrapped her arms around the woman and clutched at the back of her dress as the words spilled out of her rapidly. “It’s so bad, Marina! It’s always so bad! I see her dead! Or she’s alive, and she looks mean! But she wasn’t. Shewas my mother. Why is she mean in my dreams? What’s wrong with me?”
A lump rose in Evan’s throat at the sight of his daughter crying like this and hearing her talk about her nightmares.Part of her must remember how cold her mother was.But instead of realizing how cold-hearted her mother used to be, Lilly just felt guilty about dreaming of her mother that way. He should have seen that. If he had Marina’s talent for understanding emotions, he would have.At least she is here now, and she can help her.
“There’s nothing wrong with you, sweetheart,” Marina said, kissing the top of her head. “I promise. Your mother … well, she was a complicated person, like we all are. And these dreams are not your fault. Just because you have them doesn’t mean you loved her any less.”
Lilly sobbed into Marina’s shoulder. She held his daughter close and made soothing sounds, not seeming to care about the tears staining her nightgown. Both of them seemed to have forgotten that Evan was in the room now, and he was fine with that. He was too mesmerized by watching them. He remembered how good it felt when Marina had hugged him that one time, so he knew it must be working wonders for Lilly.
