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“Did you mean it?” I ask suddenly, looking at him until his sky-blue eyes swing toward me in question. “What you said about me being her other father. Was it truth talking or just to get us back here?”
His face tightens, and I stiffen, bracing myself for him to deny it once again. For him to rip out my heart.
Instead, he cradles my jaw, leaning down until our noses touch, keeping our gazes locked. “You’ve been her dad from the moment she was born, Xed. Everything she is, everything she’s becoming, is because you helped me raise her. I’m sorry I fought it for so long, but I see that now. It doesn’t matter if she’s not your blood, she’s yours, and she always will be.”
When his lips brush mine, I close my eyes, letting the tears wet my lashes. For a moment, the world slows, and the breath that fills my lungs when I inhale feels like the first I’ve taken in years. Matty’s arms hold me steady even though my knees nearly buckle, and I kiss him back hard, finally, finally feeling like I’ve found my harbor after drifting for so long.
A small voice has us pulling apart, and we both turn toward the hospital bed, where Hannah blinks at us bleary-eyed.
“Daddy?” she calls groggily, reaching out her good arm. Within seconds, Matty is there, dropping to his knees beside her.
“I’m here, jelly bean. It’s alright.” He gently gathers her in his arms, whispering comfortingly in her ear. When she sees me over his shoulder, she holds out a hand, her lip wobbling in a way that breaks my heart.
“Fungus,” she croaks, “I just wanted ice cream. I’m sorry.”
More tears fall as I lean down to kiss the top of her head. “Oh, Creetch, you have no reason to be sorry. You did nothing wrong.”
Her little face twists as she buries it into Matty’s neck. “Mommy told me no, but I kept asking until she yelled at me. I just wanted you and Daddy. She got mad.”
Matty’s grip on her tightens, and his jaw clenches so hard I’m afraid he might crack a tooth. His voice trembles, but he keeps it gentle for her. “None of this is your fault, bean. You hear me? None of it. Mommy made a bad decision, and it’s not on you.”
I feel her little fingers curl tighter around mine, her voice muffled. “Are you mad at me?”
“Never.” Kneeling down to eye level, I cover Matty’s hand on her back with my own. “Never, ever. You’re the best thing in the whole damn world to us, Creature. Nothing will ever change that.”
Matty nods, his free hand stroking her hair in slow, soothing motions. “Xed’s right. We love you more than anything. Don’t you forget it.”
She peeks at me from under messy hair, her big eyes red. “Promise?”
“Promise,” I say, my voice cracking.
“Double promise,” Matty adds, managing a soft smile.
The tension in her little body finally starts to ease. She lets out a shaky breath and leans into us, her hand still clutching mine. The room is quiet for a moment except for the faint hum of machines and the sound of her breathing evening out.
Glancing up at Matty, I find his eyes on mine over Hannah’s head. There’s a storm of emotion there—anger, guilt, fear—but most of all, love.
“We’ll talk to her about it later,” he murmurs, his voice low. “Tonight, all she needs to know is that she’s loved.”
I nod, unable to find the words because he’s right. There’s so much we’ll have to unpack later. Valerie, the crash, what happened between us. But none of it matters right now.
Right now, all that matters is Hannah.
“I’m tired,” she whispers, her voice small and fragile.
“Then sleep, bean,” Matty says softly, rocking her gently. “We’ll be right here when you wake up.”
She sighs way too heavily for someone her age, relaxing probably for the first time tonight.
Matty and I sit there silently, holding her like she’s the most precious thing in the world—because she is.
Out of everything that’s happened between us, Hannah is the best thing Matty and I ever created together.
And this time, I’m going to help him fight like hell to keep her safe.
By the time we finally make it back to Matty’s, we’re both exhausted. We spent hours going through statements with the police, combing through Valerie’s broken confessions and Hannah’s groggy explanations. Matty was on the phone with his agent and PR lady most of the night, trying to minimize damage while I made sure Hannah was comfortable.
As soon as we walk inside his house with Hannah sound asleep in his arms, an angry quack greets us. We both stare down at the disgruntled duck, his tail twitching angrily as he waits for us at the front door. There’s also a mess by the stairs.
