I settle back slowly, shake my head. “Softie.”
A shrug. “What can I say, I like your kid.”
And I likeyou.
But I don’t say that, and quiet falls between us.
It should be awkward, sitting here in the dim light with Chloe asleep between us.
But it’s not.
Instead, it’s peaceful.
It’s…right.
“You’re a good dad,” Finn says quietly, staring down at Chloe and carefully smoothing back her hair again.
“Because I let her adopttwokittens?”
Both of whom are curled up along the back of the couch, probably waiting until we all head off to bed to make trouble.
“No,” she says with a smile. “Because youare.” A wink. “And I’m not just saying that because you agreed to watch this movie.”
I laugh softly. “Thanks,” I whisper. “Sometimes…” I trail off, shake my head.
“Sometimes what?”
I look away, sigh heavily. “Sometimes it feels like I’m failing on all fronts.”
Finn reaches over and squeezes my hand. “You’re doing really well. She’s bright and happy and has a lot of friends.”
I nod. “It took her a while to get close to people after Anna died.” I blow out a breath. “I think for a while it was easier for her if her world stayed small—me, her teachers, a few of the guys from the team and their families.”
“And Chrissy’s kittens.”
My lips twitch. “Exactly.” I press a kiss to the top of Chloe’s head. “Then you showed up on the porch with your bag full of fabric and glitter and showed her that mismatched pieces can still make something beautiful.”
“It was the pink,” she jokes, but her eyes have gone damp.
I flip my hand over, lace our fingers together. “I’ve never seen her take to someone like she’s taken to you, and it’s because you’reyou, Finn. You’re kind and funny and you care, and you’reexceptionallygood at what you do.” I squeeze lightly. “And I’m so glad you’re in our lives.”
She’s silent.
Except for the long, slow breath she takes.
“Thanks for saying that,” she eventually whispers.
“I’m not just saying it.” I squeeze again, wait for her eyes to come to mine. “I mean it.”
“Rhodes,” she whispers. “It’s not hard to care about her. She’s special.”
“Yeah, she is.”
“You know she gets that from you.”
I snort quietly. “Hardly.”
“She does,” Finn presses, and there’s a fierceness in her words, her expression that has my pulse speeding through my veins. “She knows she can be herself and she feels safe with you. That’s not nothing.”
