“Are these secret stairs?” she asked.
“Yep,” Jared said as they started up them. “They lead to the attic.”
He stepped out into a huge area with surprisingly high ceilings in the middle, then lower ceiling where the window alcoves were.
The floors were wooden but with several big rugs. In one alcove there was a gorgeous rocking chair with a set of white drawers beside it. In another was a single bed with a white iron headboard and a lacy white bedspread.
There was another set of drawers by the bed.
Then there was a desk in a third alcove and a single chair facing the window in the last one.
“It’s obviously not finished yet,” North said. “I didn’t know if you wanted some sort of theme. What kind of toys you might like. I can move the things I purchased for you up here.”
“This is . . . this is more than enough,” she said as Jared set her down to explore.
It was then she started to see the small touches. There was a heart-shaped pink pillow on the bed and the blanket over the back of the rocking chair had small whales on it.
He might act like it was nothing, but North had put a lot of thought into this room.
There was even a set of whale stationery on the desk. A pen with a whale on the end and a pad with whales swimming along the top.
Yeah, he’d put thought into it.
For her.
Even though he wasn’t a Daddy. Wasn’t her Daddy.
He was still taking care of her. Without thinking, she turned and walked over to North, wrapping her arms around him.
He stiffened and didn’t return the hug. But that was okay. He didn’t have to hug her back. And she wouldn’t cling to him. Moving back, she smiled at him.
“Thank you.”
“You like it? Even though it’s not finished?” North asked.
“I really do. It’s so kind of you to do this for me.”
“It isn’t kind. I just thought it was something you needed.”
He might choose to think it wasn’t kind, but she knew better. And it wasn’t something she needed, but she very much appreciated it.
“I will bring up the other things. If you make me a list, I will get you anything else you need. And I’ll start looking at ways to take care of Antony.”
North left before she could say anything. She glanced over at Jared in worry. “Is it because I hugged him?”
“Yes,” Jared said.
Shit.
“But I think it’s a good thing. Sometimes, we need to be pushed out of our comfort zone. It’s healthy and North rarely allows that to happen. Now, do you like where everything is or shall we move it?” Jared asked.
“I like where most things are. The chair is in a weird place, though.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Why? Is it to look out at the view?” She walked over and sat on the chair. She couldn’t see anything but the sky.
“No,” he said as he laid his hand on the back of her neck. “It’s so Little girls can reflect on their naughty behavior. It’s a timeout chair.”
