He followed her into the day-care facility where she normally left Gracie. Ava stopped and looked back at him. “Do you think she’ll be safe here? Will the staff be?”
He wasn’t entirely sure. He’d taken the day off to come and check on Ava and Gracie. “I’ll keep her while you work. Give me a chance to spend some time alone with her.”
A little bit he was baiting her to see if she’d tell him what a good dad he’d make. He could tell she knew what he was doing, because her eyes sparkled, and despite the faint circles under her eyes from lack of sleep, she looked a bit like her normal self again.
“Okay.”
“Okay…really, that’s all you have to say to me?” he teased as they went into her office.
“Yup. I mean, I don’t have to point out how good you are with Gracie—you already know that. You’re just in denial.”
Throwing his head back and laughing long and hard. He was in denial about a lot of things surrounding his two girls. Maybe as far as admitting to it out loud, but in his heart, there was truth. And while he didn’t know how he’d be as a parent long-term, he already cared deeply for Gracie, and watching over her while Ava worked felt right to him.
Chapter 15
Cassidy Garner was in Fern’s room when Ava arrived for their session. The other woman had pretty blue eyes and strawberry blond hair pulled back in a ponytail. She waved at Ava as she walked in.
“Heard you had a scare last night,” Cassidy said.
“Yeah. We’re fine now. My parents went all overprotective. I spent the night with them.”
“Be glad you have them,” Fern said from the bed.
“I am every day,” Ava said. “How are you feeling today?”
“Not too bad. The pain is at a manageable level,” Fern said.
“Let’s keep it that way. It’s totally okay if you want some medication for the pain. No one is going to call you weak for taking it,” Cassidy said.
“I know.”
Cassidy said goodbye, and Ava took a seat near the bed were she normally sat during their sessions.
It was cloudy today, so little chance that Fern wanted to be outside. To be honest, there was little chance she wanted to be. It was bitterly cold, with an artic blast coming down on them.
“What happened to you?” Fern asked.
“Someone broke into my house. They think it might be related to the baby I’m caring for,” Ava said. Not sure how much Fern would remember about Ava’s personal life. Ava really didn’t like to talk about it too much.
“Annie Ross’s baby, right? Ryan mentioned the baby had been left at the fire station,” Fern said.
“Yes. Her mom was found in the wilderness not really dressed for the weather. She died from hypothermia.”
Fern’s hand clenched into a fist. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Does that stir up memories?” Ava asked. Certain it would.
“Some. I mean, I was lucky that I started that fire I guess. I could have been like Annie Ross.”
“Possibly. But your situation is different. Do you want to try to unpack some more of what happened? I know you said they kept you drugged and that you hated it.”
“Yeah, sorry. It’s just as a recovering addict, I really hate feeling strung out. And there’s always that chance I relapsed.”
Ava sympathized. “Is that why you’re refusing the pain meds?”
“Some. Mostly I want to be aware of what’s happening around me,” she said.
“I don’t blame you for that. So for today…are we ready to talk about the cabin?”
