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“Go to sleep, baby girl. Let’s make tomorrow a better day, all right?” She didn’t answer, but nodded, closing her eyes but not before a tear slipped free.
Liam went downstairs and fixed a sandwich but didn’t truly enjoy it without Elena sitting next to him. He stood at the window, looking at the snowman and his little girl, illuminated by the moon. Restless, he decided to marinate some chicken for the next day, and then decided to make a breakfast casserole as well. Sliding both into the refrigerator, he looked at his watch. It was still early. He looked for his book and remembered he’d left it upstairs by the rocker in Elena’s room. Instead of finding her asleep as he’d expected, he heard her muffled crying. She was on her tummy, her face buried in her pillow, her shoulders quaking.
“Oh, Elena,” he said, going to her and immediately pulling her onto his lap. She wrapped her arms around him and sobbed against his chest. He knew her punishment had hurt, but he also knew these tears were not due to that. She had felt abandoned and his heart broke a little. Her needs were far more important than his determination that sleeping alone would serve as a lesson. “Shhh, I’ve got you, baby.”
He’d told her daddies changed their minds and he changed his again. Standing, he carried her to his room and pulled back the covers, ready to slip her between them but she clung to him. “It’s okay, honey. I’m going to join you.”
“Pro-promise?”
“Yes, Elena, I promise.”
She allowed him to tuck her beneath the quilt but the moment he’d stripped to his boxers and slid into bed, she pressed close, her head on his chest.
“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to—”
“Shh, it’s all right. I was missing you terribly. Go to sleep, sweetie.” He bent down and kissed her hair and tightened his hold around her waist. No longer restless, he smiled when she sighed deeply and relaxed, the soft sound of her little snore far, far better than that of her heart-wrenching sobs.
Chapter Thirteen
Though it was a bit uncomfortable to sit the next day, Elena didn’t utter a single word of complaint. She’d learned far more than that it was a mistake to lie or not trust her daddy. She’d learned that he would always forgive her, loved her deeply, and was willing to bend. She might not deserve him, but, by God, she was glad she had him.
After breakfast, which was one of her favorite casseroles, full of cheese, potatoes, eggs, and sausage, he showed her how it was possible to pop corn in the metal basket. She’d jumped a bit as the first kernels exploded, but loved the sound as he shook the basket by its long handle. When he poured the popcorn into a large bowl, she began to thread it onto a long string, giggling when he said he’d have to pop more if she kept eating it.
“We bought a big bag, Daddy,” she pointed out a moment before she threw a piece up in the air and caught it with her mouth.
“Well, who knew how talented you are?” he teased. “Toss me a piece.”
She did and when he missed, she tossed more until he finally managed to catch one. “You need practice, Daddy.”
“You need to toss straight, little girl.” He picked up those pieces he missed and set them aside as he popped another basket, pouring it into the bowl and then helping her prepare her treats for the animals by starting another string, but adding a cranberry to his after a dozen or so popcorn kernels.
“That’s pretty, Daddy,” she said, copying him with her next string. Soon the surface of the coffee table was covered with long strings of white and red. “Can we take them out now?”
“No, we’ll do that after lunch and your nap. I want to hike a bit and I’m sure the animals will be more comfortable eating your gift without having to come out into the open.”
“Oh, I didn’t think about that,” she said, looking out the window. “But I was kinda hoping I could see some.”
“We’ll hang some closer to the cabin and you have that birdseed to scatter.”
Satisfied with the plan, she joined him for another of her favorite meals, macaroni and cheese with hotdogs cut up and mixed in. “Thank you, Daddy. I know you don’t really approve of hotdogs.”
“You’re welcome. I approve of seeing you eating and enjoying your food. Just don’t expect them very often.”
Sure she wouldn’t be able to sleep as she was too excited about their hike, she was surprised to discover she’d slept for two hours. She could barely stand still as he helped her into her new snowsuit but his “settle down or we won’t go” did the trick.
“How are we going to carry all these?”
“There’s a laundry basket on top of the dryer.”
“We have a dryer?”
He laughed. “Yes, and a washer.”
“Why do you hang clothes on the hooks by the fire?”
“Because they weren’t dirty, just wet, and we don’t need to waste water or electricity when we have a nice fire to dry them.”
“That makes sense. So, where are they—the washer and dryer?”
