Devyn adjusted Hazel on her hip and nodded. “Close enough, bookie. You’re going to have a lot of fun.”
Hazel beamed, and it made the heavy moment completely worth it. Devyn would brave any storm for her baby. She should have been brave enough to tell Haze from the beginning. That was something she would always struggle with because shegenuinely thought she’d been doing the right thing. Now, she wasn’t so sure.
Inside the place, chaos ensued. Devyn cringed slightly from the instant overstimulation. Kids ran around, adults tried to keep up with them, machines chimed, and trays of pizza and chicken strips were carried to and from. She felt an instant headache coming on, but she shook away the negativity and tried to spot Haze amongst the chaos.
When her eyes landed on him, her breath caught in her throat. He stood off to the side and leaned up against a wall. His eyes seemed to be surveying the area. Something told her that he’d already seen them walk in, even though he didn’t look at them currently.
She watched him. He always seemed so calm in any situation she’d seen him in, but that didn’t mean she didn’t sense the chaos lurking within him. That energy could be felt from a mile away. Maybe that was what drew her to him in the first place.
Haze’s eyes finally connected with hers, and she froze. The way he looked at her made her want to melt into the floor and disappear. He didn’t even look mad. Just disappointed, which she felt like hurt more than anger would have.
Slowly, he moved through the crowd of people and toward them. His gaze shifted from Devyn to Hazel. Devyn swore she saw moisture gather in his eyes, which made her heart break. This man . . . he looked so tender in that moment, like he would walk on water for Hazel. How could she have deprived her daughter of that kind of love? How could she have deprived Haze from fatherhood?
Devyn felt so small in that moment, but she stood tall, with her shoulders squared and her head held high with Hazel attached to her hip.
“Hey,” he said when he was close enough. His eyes never left Hazel.
“Hey,” Devyn muttered, her voice catching slightly.
Haze glanced at her, concern shining in his eyes for a moment before he looked back at Hazel. “Can I hold her?”
Devyn tore her eyes away from his handsome face and looked at Hazel. “Baby, this is your daddy. He wants to hold you. Is that okay?”
Hazel peered at Haze thoughtfully before she nodded and gave him a toothy grin. “Daddy.”
Her little arms reached out for him. Haze’s jaw clenched, but he quickly grabbed Hazel from Devyn’s arms and hugged her tightly to him.
Devyn couldn’t help it. The moment was so sweet and emotional that a tear slid out of her eyes. Witnessing Haze fight back tears and the way Hazel clung to her father made her feel like the biggest piece of shit on the planet.
“Are you okay with her for a second?” Devyn asked. She needed a moment to gather herself.
“Yeah,” Haze replied. She didn’t miss the way his eyes followed her every movement in concern, which only made her feel worse.
“I’ll be right back.” She rushed toward the bathrooms, which were thankfully right by the entrance.
Devyn hated public restrooms, but she endured the smell and the prying eyes for a moment alone. There, she allowed herself to cry for sixty seconds. That was all she gave herself. When she finished, she took her time cleaning up her face and giving herself a pep talk.
By the time she made it back out to the chaos, she felt like she’d done a good job of getting rid of all evidence of her meltdown, but when Haze’s eyes landed on her again, she second-guessed herself. He looked at her with so much sympathy she thought she might cry again.
“You good?” he asked when she made it back over to them.
That question alone caused a lump to form in her throat, but she shook her feelings off and gave him a small smile. “Yeah.”
“You’re lyin’, but I’ll give you a pass.” He ran his free hand down his face and took in a deep breath. “Look, I know we got a lot to talk about. I ain’t gonna sit here and front like I’m not hurt and pissed off, but I don’t want that to be what today’s about. I want us to enjoy the day as a family. Can we do that?”
Devyn had to mentally coach herself not to cry as she nodded. There was clearly so much more to Haze than she realized. While she sensed chaos and danger within him, she clearly saw in real time how gentle and patient he could be with her. There was an emotionally intelligent man inside of him, and he was clearly willing to step up and be in his daughter’s life. She would even be willing to guess that he would protect Hazel with his life. The fact that she had read him completely wrong all those years ago would forever be her biggest regret.
“Yes,” she whispered.
The corner of Haze’s mouth turned up, and he gave her a lopsided smile that melted her heart. “Cool. Did y’all eat? I can order us some food.”
“We ate already, but I’m sure you’ll quickly become her favorite person if you get her some ice cream.”
Haze looked down at Hazel, who cuddled up into his arms and peered around curiously. “That’s all it takes? We gotta work on that, mama. You can’t be thinkin’ niggas can hang the moon and the stars just because they buy you ice cream.”
Devyn giggled as she followed them over to the counter where they could order their food.
“What flavor do you want, Hazel?”
