Hailey shifted behind me. The tangles were mostly gone and the brush glided smoothly through my hair.
“I think my daddy likes you,” she said.
I stiffened. My heart began to race so violently I almost tipped over.
“Did your daddy say something to you about it?” I glanced back at her.
She shook her head. “No. But I can tell.”
I swallowed, my mind spinning.What did that mean?
After one last pass of the brush, she set it down at the table and gave me a big grin. “All done,” she said cheerily. “Your hair is like, really soft, by the way.”
“Thank you.” I did my best to return her smile, even though I was distracted by what she’d said.
“Daddy’s never looked at any girl the way that he looks at you.” Her eyes twinkled. “I think you make him happy,” she added.
Something fragile inside me cracked open. I almost burst into tears right there in the middle of that bright kitchen. I didn’t. I kept my composure, if barely.
“I want your daddy to be happy,” I said softly.
Nothing had ever been truer. Despite our situation, despite our history, I wanted nothing more than for Roman to flourish. He deserved every happiness this life had to offer him.
Hailey nodded, serious again. “He’s been sad for a long time,” she said. “I think he missed my mommy so much that his heart was really hurting.”
My lungs spasmed, pain lancing through me.
She tilted her head as she watched me. “I think you make his heart feel better.”
Heat rushed through me—part from cautious happiness, and part from something deeper. There was sadness at the thought of him grieving alone for so long, but I tried to remember what Raleigh had said: Jessica’s death was a tragedy, not a trade for mine.
It was still hard not to feel some guilt, though.
She had been his wife. The mother of his child. The woman he’d chosen.
There would never be any replacing her, as it should be.
I reined myself in before those thoughts could spiral too far, and I wrapped my arms around Hailey and pulled her into a tight hug.
“I’m so glad I got to meet you,” I whispered into her ear.
“I hope you stay with us,” she said.
My throat burned, and I coughed to clear it. “I would really like that, Hailey.”
Hailey slipped off the chair so suddenly I barely had time to steady her.
She spun around, her grin dazzling. “It’s time for my performance now,” she announced dramatically.
A chorus of exaggerated groans and applause came from the living room.
I followed her out of the kitchen and into the open living space, settling onto one end of the couch while the rest of the family rearranged themselves like this was a well-practiced ritual. The fire crackled in the stone hearth, casting warm light over thevaulted ceilings. The mountains beyond the massive windows had gone dark, nothing but silhouettes against the night sky.
Hailey planted herself in the middle of the rug. “Uncle Gus,” she declared, pointing right at him. “You’re the dragon.”
August sighed like this was the greatest inconvenience of his life before lumbering to his feet and crouching low, arms raised like claws. Hailey grabbed a throw pillow and used it as a shield, “defending” against him with shrieks of laughter while Emersyn filmed from the couch, shaking her head.
Then Hailey moved on to Lark, insisting they sing a princess duet. Lark played along, clutching her heart and belting out surprisingly on-key notes while Hailey twirled in circles. Reid pretended to cry when Hailey accused him of stealing her royal treasure. Fox accepted his assigned role as the “silent knight” without a word, standing stoically with crossed arms while she issued commands.
