Maddie approached more cautiously, Betty Bear clutched to her chest. She studied Sunny with that penetrating gaze that reminded Liam so much of Kate — seeing too much, understanding too deeply for her young years.
“Daddy’s trying to make pancakes,” she observed, glancing at the disaster zone of the counter.
“Trying being the operative word,” Liam acknowledged.
A ghost of a smile touched Sunny’s lips. “Why don’t I help? Teamwork makes thedream work, right?”
She moved to the counter beside him, automatically reaching for the bowl of batter. Their fingers brushed as he passed it to her, the brief contact sending a jolt of awareness through him. Sunny pulled back slightly, but not before he caught the flush rising in her cheeks.
The next half hour unfolded in a delicate dance of four people finding their rhythm again. Sunny expertly rescued the pancake batter, showing Liam where he’d gone wrong. The girls helped arrange blueberry faces under Sunny’s guidance. What had been awkward and strained at the start gradually softened, muscle memory of their shared routines taking over.
Liam found himself mesmerized by the familiar way Sunny knew exactly how each girl liked her breakfast — Maddie’s pancakes arranged in descending size order, Hailey’s cut into bite-sized pieces with extra syrup in a separate little cup for dipping.
At one point, they both reached for the maple syrup at the same time, Liam’s hand covering Sunny’s for a brief moment. She pulled away, but not with the recoil of discomfort he’d feared. Instead, she offered a small, tentative smile that kindled hope in his chest.
It wasn’t forgiveness, not yet. But it was a start.
“School today?” Sunny asked as they cleared the breakfast dishes, her question directed at the girls but her eyes flicking uncertainly to Liam.
The question opened a logistical can of worms they hadn’t discussed. Who would take the girls? Who would pick them up? How would they handle their first public appearance together since Sunny’s return?
“I thought we could both take them,” Liam suggested, watching her reaction carefully. “If you want to, that is.”
He saw the flash of anxiety cross her face, the weight of what he was asking her to do. To step out into public with him, to face the scrutiny and judgment that had driven them apart.
“I…” Sunny hesitated, her fingers twisting nervously in the dish towel. Then, with visible resolve, she nodded. “Yes. I’d like that.”
***
The drive to school was quiet, the girls unusually subdued in the backseat as if sensing the fragile peace between the adults. Liam kept glancing at Sunny in the passenger seat, studying the tense line of her shoulders, the way she bit her lower lip as they approached the school.
As they pulled into the drop-off lane, Liam couldn’t help but notice the double-takes from other parents, the whispers behind hands, the not-so-subtle pointing. Sunny noticed too, her posture stiffening further.
“Maybe this wasn’t—” she began in a low voice.
“We have nothing to be ashamed of, ” Liam cut in gently but firmly.
They parked and walked the girls to the entrance, Liam hyper-aware of the stares following them. Near the kindergarten doors, Liam overheard a sharp-voiced mother speaking just loudly enough to be heard.
“Well, I guess being the nanny was just her audition for the role of Mrs Anderson. Talk about a promotion.”
Sunny flinched beside him, the cruel words landing like a slap. Her face paled, but she maintained her composure, focused entirely on helping Hailey with her backpack.
Liam felt a familiar heat rise in his chest — the same burning anger that had driven him to throw punches on the ice, to lash out when threatened. His first instinct was to confront the woman aggressively, to use his imposing presence to intimidate her into silence.
But then he caught sight of Sunny’s face — the quiet dignity with which she absorbedthe blow without returning it. And in that moment, he understood that his old reactions wouldn’t serve the family he was trying to rebuild.
Taking a deep breath, Liam placed a gentle hand on Sunny’s shoulder before approaching the small cluster of parents. The women fell silent as he neared, their expressions a mixture of embarrassment and defiance.
“Good morning,” he said calmly, his voice pitched to carry just far enough for those who needed to hear it. “I believe we haven’t formally met. I’m Liam Anderson, Maddie and Hailey’s father.”
The blonde woman who’d made the comment shifted uncomfortably, caught between social obligation and her earlier cattiness. “Christine Porter,” she replied stiffly. “My daughter Olivia is in Maddie’s class.”
Liam nodded, maintaining steady eye contact. “I wanted to introduce myself personally, since our children are classmates. And I also wanted you to meet someone important in our lives.”
He gestured to Sunny, who approached cautiously, the girls flanking her protectively.
“This is Sunny Thompson,” Liam continued, his voice warm but firm. “The woman who helped my daughters find their smiles again after they lost their mother. The woman I love and respect, who deserves the same courtesy from our community.”
