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“Why don’t you go in the family room and wait for her?” I motion with my chin, and he does as I say but looks over at me four times before he sits down.
Rain comes back downstairs with her hands behind her back as she goes to him. “I made you this,” she says. Her voice is low, and everything in me just stops moving. You could hear a pin drop in the whole house. She sounds so nervous and scared as she sits next to him and hands him what is in her hands.
“What’s this?” he asks, looking down at the card she made him last week at school.
“There is going to be a father-daughter dance at school,” she starts softly, “and some people are bringing their uncles or grandfathers.” Her voice trembles. “I want to bring you. It’s on Friday at the school,” she tells him what is written in the card.
He looks at her and then looks up at me, the tears already running down his face. “Of course,” he says, putting his arm around her, “it would be my honor to take you.” He kisses her head, and she gets up and runs to me.
“Mommy, Mommy, he said yes,” she almost screams, and I wrap my arms around her, my own tears falling on top of her head.
“I heard.” I look over and see Christopher still sitting on the couch, looking at the handmade invitation. He opens it and reads it again, before he closes it. “Get your homework started,” I tell her and then make my way over to Christopher, who is still in the same spot. “Hey.” I sit beside him and he looks at me, and I see his face is ravished. “Are you okay?”
He shakes his head. “No. This—” He holds up the paper. “There are no words for this.” His voice breaks at the end of it. The emotions ripping through him are raw and real and beautiful. Seeing the way he loves my children makes me fall even more for this man.
I put my hand on his knee. “She thinks the world of you,” I tell him softly. “She was scared to ask you.” He just balks at it and then leans forward to put his elbows on his knees.
I search his eyes, wondering if this is too much for him, but knowing better. This man is the best man I’ve ever met. Hands down the most thoughtful, most caring, most perfect. The most fucking everything and, apparently, he’s now mine. Or better yet, ours. “I would walk through fire for her.”
Right here in the room where I found my husband dead from an overdose, where I thought my life would never be the same, I realize I’ve done the impossible. I’ve healed myself, and I’ve also fallen in love.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
christopher
As soon as I park the truck in the driveway, I pull up Uncle Viktor’s number. He of course answers within seconds. It’s like the phone is stuck to his side. “What’s up?” His voice is soft, and I hear the television in the background. I can just picture him sitting on the couch watching some game or another.
“Um,” I start to say, but then all I do is close my eyes. “Something amazing happened tonight.” My heart contracts in my chest. “I was asked to go to a father-daughter dance.” My voice breaks at the end, and I feel exactly how I did when Rain came up to me in the family room a couple of hours ago.
“That’s a big deal,” he states softly. “Are you okay with that?”
“I’m more than okay with that.” I put my head back on the seat. “I’m just?—”
“Feeling guilty that you are taking his place,” he says the words I don’t want to say.
“In the past couple of weeks, I’ve found out a bit more about Benji that I did not like. I also came to the realization that if I knew the person he really was, there is no way I would be friends with a guy like that.” Truth be told, if I had found out what he was actually like before he passed, there was no way in fuck I would have even spoken to the guy, let alone have him be one of my best friends.
“That’s a lot to unpack.”
“It is, but it’s the truth. He wasn’t the man I thought he was. But with that said.” I swallow down. “I have serious feelings for Dakota, and I can wholeheartedly say I’m in love with Rain and Luna.” I know I’m in love with Dakota, but I don’t want him to know before she knows.
“Serious feelings sound like a big deal.” His voice is judgment-free and exactly how I knew it would be, yet I was still scared to bring it up.
“We’ve been on one date with each other,” I admit to him, “and I know that I want a million more.”
“So you don’t have serious feelings for her. You are in love with her.” His question or statement goes unanswered. “Christopher, you have stepped in and given them support. There is nothing, and I mean nothing, wrong with that.”
“I know.” I exhale. “I know, it’s just that. I’m angry that if he was still here, he wouldn’t see the beauty in front of him.”
“The only thing you can control is what is in front of you now. You can’t lose your energy on things from the past. You have to focus on the here and now.”
“She’s so fucking special, Uncle Viktor. Like hands down the best person I’ve ever met. She’s had all this shit happen to her, and instead of wallowing, she’s a fucking warrior.”
“She has no choice,” he reminds me. “She’s got two girls who have already lost a parent. She’s not going to just fall and leave them alone.”
“She would never.” I jump to her defense quickly, making him laugh.
“You obviously did something good if she asked you to the father-daughter dance.” He changes the subject from Dakota. “It’s a great honor.”
