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* * *

Later, curled beneath my blankets, I realize something unsettling.

For the first time in a long time, the man occupying my thoughts isn’t the one I’m afraid of

Seven

Dean

I’ve been home for three hours, and I’m still thinking about Blair.

Dropping off her car should have been the end of it. Clearly, my brain didn’t get the memo.

It isn’t even the way she looked standing on her porch that keeps replaying in my head.

It’s her reaction when I told her the repair would only cost two hundred dollars.

I expected relief. Maybe excitement.

Instead, she looked suspicious.

I don’t want to owe you anything.

I’ve been turning those words over ever since.

Why would helping her mean she owed me something?

I’ll admit, I would usually charge someone for the tow. I probably should’ve charged for the extra time too, but something in me wouldn’t let me do that with Blair.

For fuck’s sake.

What is it about this woman?

“Daddy?”

Aspen’s voice pulls me out of my thoughts. She’s standing in the bathroom doorway wearing her sunflower pajamas, with her toothbrush hanging from one hand.

“Can you help me brush my teeth?” she asks.

“Of course, kiddo.” I push away from the kitchen counter. “Let’s do it.”

I follow Pen into the bathroom and help her squeeze toothpaste onto the brush. She recently lost her first tooth and nearly lost her mind when the tooth fairy left twenty dollars beside her pillow.

Note to self: don’t pretend to be the tooth fairy in the dark.

I’m still not sure whether the money impressed her more than watching me trip over her dollhouse while trying to escape.

“Open,” I instruct, holding the toothbrush toward her.

Aspen opens her mouth dramatically.

“Not that wide.” I laugh. “I’m brushing your teeth, not checking for tonsils.”

She giggles around the toothbrush while I help her reach the back.

Once we’re finished, I hand her a towel.

“Teeth done,” I announce. “Let’s get you tucked in, baby girl.”