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24
I have halfa mind to leave my old friend to his own devices and “truly” put Ella to bed.
With my tongue.
But, from the sleep grins and constant yawning, I can tell she’s legitimately ready to crash. Instead, I kiss her once more at the patio door, and then watch her slip through the darkness up to bed.
When I turn, my eyes narrow a little as I casually walk back over to Kristoff.
“Why don’t you tell me why you’re really here.”
He shakes his head, sighing.
“I wasn’t lying, earlier. I did want to come and make sure this was actually something Ella wanted. And not you using your usual strong-armed tactics to bully her into getting what you want.”
“And?”
He smiles.
“And I get it. I see it, now that I can really see it.”
“I told you I’m not interested in your seal of approval, Kristoff.”
“No, but you’d want Thomas’s.”
My mouth thins.
“You’d probably have it, you know,” he says quietly. “I mean, the man would’ve had some very long, very serious, and very strongly worded conversations with you. But he knew you, Noel. It’s why he asked you of all of us to look after them both when he knew he’d be gone.”
“I’m not sure this is precisely what he was envisioning.”
“Maybe not. But despite that charming, sparkling personality of yours…”
I smile sardonically, flipping him off as he grins.
“You have a good heart, Noel. As much as you try and shroud it in blackness.”
I look away, grunting as I slowly sip my wine.
“The words you’re searching for are ‘thank you, Kristoff. You handsome bastard.’”
I grin.
“Thank you.”
He nods, tipping his wine glass to me.
“There’s another reason I came by, too.”
I sigh. “Now was that so hard to admit?”
He smirks, pulling a printout from the inside pocket of his jacket and tossing it on the table between us.
“You’ll want to read that.”
My brow furrows as I pick it up. I scan it casually before suddenly, I stop cold. It’s a psych evaluation from Hemlock Estates, on Ella.
And suddenly, my heart drops.
