“Do I have to choose?I like both.”He liked food.Period.He’d yet to meet something he didn’t like.Well, as long it wasn’t burned or cooked with salt instead of sugar, things like that.Of course, it looked like Ian didn’t do that so much anymore.
“I likes noodles wif chicken-bird, cheese, and butters.”
“That sounds good, too.I like food.That’s why I got so big.”His mom had always said he was going to eat them out of house and home.
“Uh-huh.Me too!You like…doggies?”She was so awake, so focused.So damn funny.
“Doggies are hot dogs, right?”He didn’t want to say yes if she was testing him and meant actual dogs.
“Uh-huh.You like yellow stuff or red stuff on ‘em?”
“Yellow stuff.Mustard.I like mustard on them.”
Her eyes went wide and she chewed on her bottom lip.“Is hot, m…man?”She stopped, blew out a hard breath.“What you name?I’m Tori.”
“I’m…” He took a deep breath.He was going to start out like he could hold out.“I’m Dad.”Because he had decided, sitting here having a conversation with his daughter while his son dozed against him, that he was going to fight for this.
“Dad.”She frowned for a second, then her eyes went wide as if a lightbulb went off.“Like Daddy!Dad and Daddy!”
Damn, she was smart.“Exactly like that.”
“So…you love me?”
He looked at her for a long moment, and then he nodded.He’d never just stopped loving the kids – or Ian - he’d just… put them out of his mind.Like an idiot.Like an asshole.“I do.You’re my daughter, and Peter’s my son.”And if Ian hadn’t wanted him to tell her that then he should have stayed awake.
“Oh.Okay.I love you too.”She leaned in, head on his shoulder.“You read to us tomorrow-day?”
“Sure.I can read you tomorrow too.”He lay there with the two of them curled up against him, wondering again why he gave all this up.Oh, that’s right – hockey.He gave up Ian and the kids for hockey.It had seemed more important at the time.
It had been all-encompassing, and he still didn’t know what he was expected to do now, but…
He had his babies in his arms.
And until he’d healed that was going to have to be enough.
ChapterFour
Ian was exhausted.
Between the kids, his brother who was over every day, and JP — he wanted to lie down and die.
The kids had him up at the crack of dawn, and by the time the house was cleaned, and laundry was done, and he had a glass of wine on the porch?
It was late.
“Daddy?”
He blinked at Peter, who was standing in front of him.“What, son?”
“I hafta potty.”
“Good boy for telling me.Let’s go!”He hustled Peter onto the potty.“Where’s your sister?”
“Wif da hockey-man.”
“What?”
“Hers in der.”
