“You can eat soup when you’re ready to eat soup, okay?”
“Okay,” she says through another yawn.
Lia scoots down into the bed as well, and when I peer over at her, she’s got tears in her own eyes. I reach my free hand over, offering it to her, and she threads our fingers together. I hold her hand, our connection settling against Amber’s side while she nestles against me, and for a moment, time stands still.
“You done with work, Daddy?” Amber croaks out.
I glance at the clock on the wall. Crap, I’m due back at the school in twenty minutes.
School can wait.
“Yeah, princess,” I say as I kiss the top of her head. “I’m done with work today.”
The smell of soup fills the room as Amber falls asleep between us. I hate to release Lia’s hand, but I have to notify the school that I’ve got a family emergency. After sending off the email on my phone, I tuck it away, putting work out of my mind.
Some things are just more important.
“Soup’s ready whenever you guys are,” Knox murmurs from the doorway. “Got some buttered toast made up, too. I need to get back to work, but I’ll stop by after I’m done. Should be no later than four.”
I turn my head. “Hey, Knox.”
“Yeah?”
I hold his gaze for a moment. “Thanks.”
He smiles softly. “None needed. See you guys in a few hours.”
When I feel Amber go slack against me with sleep, I ease slowly out of the bed. Pickles quickly takes up my space next to her, settling his snout just shy of her own little nose. Lia reaches down and pulls the covers up over both of them, so only their heads are peeking out.
“Come on,” she whispers as she heads for the door. “Pickles will stay with her while she sleeps.”
“Sleep tight, princess,” I whisper as I bend down and kiss my daughter’s cheek.
I close the guest bedroom door behind me after ushering Lia out into the hallway, and for a moment, neither of us speaks. We head into the kitchen where there’s half a loaf of buttered toast waiting for us as well as a practical cauldron of soup.
“My word, how much soup did Walker make?” Lia asks.
The words come tumbling out. “Hey, I’m really sorry if that conversation was… weird.”
“What?” she asks as she turns to face me.
I rub the back of my neck. “You know, you getting caught in the middle of something so personal. I’m sorry if it put you in an awkward position. It’s something I should have figured out how to address a long time ago.”
Lia looks up at me, and there’s a softness in her eyes that fills my chest with warmth.
She places her hand against my racing heart. “Eli.”
“Yeah?”
“You didn’t catch me in the middle of anything. I’m glad Amber felt comfortable expressing herself to me. Sometimes, Omegas just need over Omegas to talk to. That doesn’t mean you’ve done anything wrong.”
I scrub my hand down my face. “I just can’t help but wonder?—”
“None of that,” she says, patting my chest. “You just let your daughter see how much you love her. No apologies and no second-guessing anything.”
My hand cups hers on my chest. “Thank you for helping her, Lia.”
She just shrugs. “She’s a good kid, Eli, and she’s a good kid because she’s got a good dad. Never forget that.”
