His house was beautiful. Simple and elegant. Like something out of a design magazine. “The living room, dining room, and kitchen are all on this level,” he explained. “There’s a lower level, but it’s unfinished. Nothing dangerous down there, just no flooring or any furniture yet. Let’s get you ladies upstairs so you can settle in and get ready for bed.”
Violet woke as soon as April opened her door, and was once again holding April’s hand as if her life depended on it. A few steps inside, and April noticed Violet was now limping a bit. “Isyour leg bothering you? Shoot, we forgot to stop and get some medicine for you.”
“It doesn’t hurt too much,” Violet said, the small wrinkle between her eyebrows betraying her words.
“I think I have some children’s fever reducer and pain reliever in the medicine cabinet upstairs from when Sienna stayed with me when she had a cold,” Tanner said. “I’ll grab it as soon as I show you to your rooms.”
They followed him upstairs and into the first room on the right. “This is -” He flipped the light switch, and April’s breath caught at the sight of an adorable purple princess room, complete with a canopy bed, matching furniture, and a life-size dollhouse.
“Tanner,” April breathed. “Please tell me this is Sienna’s room for when she spends the night with you, and that your mom didn’t ask those women to completely transform your space for us.”
He slowly shook his head as a smile spread across his face. “No, Sienna usually sleeps in the guest room closest to my bedroom, so I can hear her if she wakes up. I’m as stunned as you are by this change. I can’t believe my mom and the women pulled this off in such a short amount of time.”
“This is all for me?” Violet asked, clearly with as much disbelief as he and April were feeling.
“All for you,” Tanner said. “What do you think?”
Violet’s eyes scanned the room, taking in the bed, the dollhouse, even the shelf in the corner lined with books. Then she turned to Tanner, and with a completely straight face, said, “I think I want you to be my daddy.”
Chapter 18
“Tannerisyour daddy, Violet.” The whispered words hit like daggers being shoved in April’s heart. All the trust, the love, the relationship she and Violet had formed in the last three years were destroyed. She hadn’t just lied to the man she was quickly falling in love with. She’d lied to her niece, too. That sweet, little girl who trusted her beyond all measure.
Refocusing on what had to be done, April forced herself to continue. “Tanner, Violet is your daughter. She’s yours. Casey always wanted you to know. She came looking for you, but your family turned her away.” April’s eyes filled with tears at the admission. It seemed so unbelievable after meeting them, even if she knew it to be true.
A knock at the door startled April, making her spin around from the mirror she’d been staring into for who knows how long. “April? Are you okay?” His hair was damp from a shower, and he wore a simple white t-shirt and gray sweatpants. The woodsy scent of his soap drifted across the room, filling her nostrils and making her wish he’d cross the distance and wrap his arms around her.
She nodded like a bobblehead, then caught herself, and stopped. “I was just getting ready for bed.” She’d already found a tank top and pink pajama bottoms in the bag of things Faith had given her and changed into them after putting Violet downfor the night. But her niece’s words still clung in her chest like dark clouds.I want you to be my daddy.Little did Violet know, he was.
Tanner came into the room and stopped an arm’s length away from her. “How’s the room? Do you need anything?”
“Nope, it’s perfect,” April said. There was a nice double bed, a large closet, a three-drawer dresser with a flat screen television on it, and a small nightstand with a lamp and a few books.
Tanner smiled. “I don’t know about perfect. I think my mom kind of shafted you when you consider what she did in Violet’s room.”
April laughed. “Violet deserves all the beautiful purple princess rooms in the world. After what Ned put her through…” She couldn’t even think about what they’d just escaped, because the truth of it was, they hadn’t really escaped anything at all yet. They were just buying themselves some time.
“What’s wrong?” Tanner asked.
“I should’ve done this sooner. I should’ve trusted someone - you - sooner.” There was so much she needed to tell him.
“No,” Tanner said, opening his arms to her. She went into his embrace, sinking into his warmth. “You can’t blame yourself for any of this. Look at me.”
She raised her gaze to meet his.
“Violet is special, April. If I were in your shoes, I wouldn’t trust her with anyone, let alone a cop you just met. I’m glad you waited. I’m grateful you trusted me, but I’m also so proud of you for sticking to your gut, trusting yourself not to act before you knew that you both had a safe place to go. Doing anything before that wouldn’t have just been irresponsible, it would’ve been dangerous.”
“Do you always see the best in people?” April asked, feeling a sense of relief at hearing his reasoning. She didn’t deserve his understanding, but she’d take it anyway.
“Not at all,” Tanner said. “But I see you, and there’s no way in the world you’d ever do anything to endanger that little girl. And that is something that I not only understand, but fully support. Anyone who tells you otherwise has no idea what it’s like to love a child or protect someone who’s vulnerable to abuse.”
April sensed he was talking about more than just Violet, or even Sienna.
“What’s that?” He asked, gesturing to her hand.
She looked down, almost forgetting that she’d been clutching an old photo of Casey. Violet loved looking at it whenever she missed her mom.
Pulling out of her hug with Tanner, she said, “Just a photo of my sister, Violet’s mom.” April’s heart rate sped up as she showed it to Tanner. She had every intention of telling Violet about Tanner first, but maybe this way was better. If he -
