She doesn’t stir. Doesn’t hear it.
But lying here, with her breathing soft against my chest, I realize something that should probably scare me more than it does.
I don’t want a life that doesn’t include her.
Chapter 41
Dani
The drive home from Hunter and Cami’s the next morning felt slower than it ever had before.
Logan and I had a lazy morning. Waking up slowly as if just enjoying the bubble we had created for ourselves in my apartment. We didn’t talk about what came next almost because there was a patient understanding in the delicateness of it all and in the fears we both had. But even without that dialogue, I felt assured and validated. As if I finally understood exactly where I fit into his and Harper’s world. And Logan woke up with an edge of relaxation to him. No longer shrouded by the thick, tall, boundless, walls that used to consume him.
As we drove back home, Harper’s voice filled the car, bubbling and bright, and Logan laughed when he could, asking questions, pretending to keep up with the stream of her thoughts.
“…and then Auntie Cami said no more syrup, but Uncle Hunter gave us some anyway, and we built a fort, and I told the twins that my daddy makes the best forts ‘cause he’s a Marine, and then I told them Ms. Dani helps too, and they said that’s cheating, because she was their Ms. Dani first—”
Her excitement was contagious, but somewhere around the middle of her story, she stopped.
“I like when my parents pick me up,” she said it like a casual truth she didn’t think twice about.
Logan’s hand paused on the steering wheel. “Hey, bug—”
She wasn’t done. “It’s nice. The twins have two parents, and now I do too. Daddy and Dani.” She paused, thoughtful. “My friend Mia says she has two moms and no dad, and she drew a picture for show-and-tell of her family. So maybe it doesn’t have to always be mom and dad, just people who love you a lot.”
The words settled like a soft punch, unexpected and sweet at the same time. Yet the weight of them was heavy.
Logan met my eyes in the mirror, his expression unreadable. “Dani’s special, yeah,” he said carefully. “But she’s not your mom, Harper.”
“I know that,” she said with a tiny shrug, as if it didn’t matter. “But she lives with us now too.”
I couldn’t help the tiny breath I drew in. Logan and I hadn’t spoken about what came next. This was just supposed to be until he returned, which he had. He was to go his way and I would return back to the life of a single, overworked lawyer. Sure, I’d see them at parties or dance recitals, but nowhere in there was ever consideration for something more consistent, permanent. That was until Harper weaseled her way into my heart and brought her dad along.
“I don’t live here, sweet girl,” I said gently. “I just helped out for a while.”
“But youcould,” she said brightly. “You already make noodles the good way.”
Logan tried not to laugh, but his eyes softened. “It’s been fun having her here, hasn’t it?”
“Yeah,” Harper said with a yawn, settling back in her seat. “You should keep her, daddy-o.”
And that was it. She was asleep five minutes later, her stuffed animal pressed to her cheek, the sunlight flickering over her face as we drove.
The rest of the car ride, neither of us spoke.
The only sounds were the vibrations of the road and the faint rhythm of Logan’s thumb tapping the steering wheel.
When we pulled into the driveway, he turned off the engine but didn’t move. And I stared out the window for a second, trying to slow my racing thoughts, trying to focus on anything but the inevitable conversation that was settling between us.
“I wasn’t ready for that,” I said softly.
“Me either,” he murmured. “She didn’t mean anything by it.”
“I know,” I said, forcing a small smile. “She just… feels safe. And loved.”
He looked at me, the weight of unspoken things flickering behind his eyes. “That’s because of you.”
The lump in my throat made it hard to answer.
