Jordan
Idon’t know if it’s normal that he feels so at home here, in my house. Should I be worried thatIfeel so comfortable when he’s here, when he brings me dessert? I mean, it’s double chocolate – I can’t exactly kick him out, can I? Besides, I didn’t invite him: he came of his own accord, even though he did ask my permission. Or maybe he told me he was coming and I simply didn’t say no. I’m not laying down any rules. I didn’t ask him to sign anything; and I don’t want to. I can feel myself sinking into trouble that I won’t be able to find my way out of.
It’s possible to mend a broken heart, but it’s not easy. You need to gather up all the pieces, make sure that there are no cracks, that it can withstand some wear and tear. Because once a heart has been put back together, it’s fragile; it needs to be well-looked-after. It would only take one small jolt to shatter it to pieces again. Nothing can be fixed more than once. And Niall Kerry seems like just the type of guy to keep shaking down your world.
“Did you hear me?”
“What’s that?”
“Don’t you like it? I thought double chocolate would put me right in your good books.”
“What kind of question is that? Of course I like it…” I sink a fork into my slice. “I was just lost in thought.”
“Maybe you’re tired. Do you want me to leave?”
“No, it’s fine.”
“Okay.” He relaxes, placing his half-eaten slice on the surface of the coffee table.
“So, there’s been a breakthrough?” I ask, trying to focus on the conversation we were having about Carter and his daughter.
“I honestly don’t know. Skylar is a tough cookie.”
“I’d noticed.”
He sighs, then looks at me. “Thanks.”
“For what?”
“For Carter, for the whole thing about her graphic novels.”
“She told you.”
I shake my head. “Carter read them, and he liked them. And he knew what they were talking about, too, while I…” He runs a hand through his hair. “I barely know my own daughter.”
“Niall…”
“And I want to know her. I want to be part of her world. I want her to trust me, to talk to me and tell me about what she likes, what she’s feeling.”
“It’ll take time.”
“I lost out on the first fifteen years of her life. I don’t want to lose out on any more.”
The sincerity of his words is reflected in his eyes.
“Help me.”
“H-how?”
“You’re a woman, and you’re good with kids, and you’re… You’re…”
“What am I?”
He considers this for a minute, then takes a deep breath. “You’re everything I never expected.”
“Oh…”
“I didn’t think I could like thateverythingthis much.”
