I laugh softly. ‘She calls you Uncle G, and let’s be honest, it beats Uncle Asshole any day of the week.’
He chuckles into his glass. ‘I think it came out Assel.’
‘No, it definitely sounded more like asshole.’
‘Whatever you say, Tay.’
‘Yeah, well, you should take it as a compliment that she’s named you after the BFG.’
‘The BFG. Let me guess, the B stands for big?’
‘And the F stands forfriendly. It’s an important distinction, don’t you know?’
His eyes spark. ‘That’swhat the F stands for?’
‘Yeah, what did you think it meant?’
He shakes his head.
‘Jesus, Axel, she’s four!’
‘How was I supposed to know that’s what it stood for?’
‘Everyoneknows what it stands for. It’s the BFG! The Roald Dahl book?!’
Shit. Of course he wouldn’t know. He hardly had a childhood stuffed with bedtime stories. But then, neither did I.
Sadie, however… I read to her every night. First to calm her tears, then to make her smile, and then I carried on. It was our nightly routine for years. While Dad hit the bottle and her mum legged it into oblivion, I stepped in.
‘Would you prefer she called you the Hulk instead?’ I say, changing things up.
‘TheHulk?’
‘Sure, you’re big, broad,fierce…’
‘And green?’
I laugh. ‘Okay, maybe not, but the rest, definitely.’
‘Is that your opinion or hers?’
‘Everyone’s.’
His eyes tighten at the corners, his mouth too. I have the sudden urge to take it back, to remind him of the man Iknowexists beneath the surface, but then he’s already looking away. His focus back on Sadie and Theo, and I let it go.
I’m not sure he’d want to hear it anyway. He’s Axel. He’s made a life being as tough as they come. To even hint at the tiniest crack in that armour would probably feel like an insult. Or worse, a threat.
‘She’ll be okay, you know?’ he says, catching me off guard.
‘Who?’
‘Your sister. They all will. Sadie, Theo, Lottie – you can quit with the worrying.’
‘I’m not,’ I say truthfully.
‘Then what’s wrong?’
‘Who says anything’s wrong?’
