AllFreeNovel
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“Maybe, Lily. Choosing to have another child is very special.”
“Daddy told me I almost had a baby brother.”
The news hit both Harlow and me hard. She looked away immediately, pressing her hand over her mouth. My sister-in-law had been pregnant at the time of her death? My grip on the steering wheel tightened as rage swept through me like fire on dry timber. I chose to ignore Lily’s comment, thankful when she returned to playing with Princess.
“Is that your favorite ice cream store?” Harlow asked a few minutes later, pointing out the window.
“Yes. Yes! Can I have two flavors? Please?” Lily squirmed, giggling as Princess licked her face.
“Of course you can. You were a good girl and ate all your dinner.” I was a shit for a cook, but she’d enjoyed the fish sticks and French fries. My mind had been so preoccupied with what Matt had told me that I’d almost forgotten dinner needed to be made. Now I was thoroughly convinced I’d never make a decent father, at least not the one Lily needed.
After pulling in, I decided to try to make the small event special, shoving aside my concerns. Tomorrow, I’d head for the police department, finding out in detail what the fuck had happened.
“Okay, Princess needs to stay in the car until we order. Okay?” Harlow asked her as she helped Lily out of the backseat.
“Leave a window open.”
Her insistent voice reminded me so much of Harlow. I laughed then rolled down both windows halfway before cutting the engine. “Let’s go.”
Harlow stood silently as we waited in line, her lips pursed. I had a feeling she would barrage me with questions I couldn’t answer. That last thing I wanted was to involve her in anything that might prove to be dangerous. Unfortunately, I had a feeling she’d never let it go.
With ice cream in hand, we moved to one of the picnic tables. “Don’t let it melt. I’ll get Princess.” At least the location had a playground that would keep Lily entertained for a little while. She jabbered through the next few minutes, giggling incessantly throughout spooning ice cream into her mouth, more than once trying to feed her pup. Just watching her interact with Harlow left both a warm and hollow place in my heart.
Lily squealed as Princess managed to thrust her tongue into the child’s ice cream.
“She’s such a sweet girl,” Harlow whispered.
“Yeah, she is. She had no understanding that her life is going to be entirely different.”
Harlow gave me a wry smile. “Children are resilient, but don’t make too many changes at one time.”
When the woman put on her know-it-all hat, I wanted to strip off her clothes. What kind of man did that make me?
“Can I go play now?” Lily asked.
I laughed and reached for one of the napkins. “Let me wipe your face first.”
She dragged her tongue around her mouth, her eyes so bright when I rubbed the bits of cream from her chin. I was already crazy about the kid, which made every decision that had formed in my mind that much more difficult.
When she scampered away, Princess in tow, I pushed the rest of my dessert away.
“You’re not going to finish it?” Harlow teased.
“Not real hungry right now.”
“Ice cream isn’t consumed to solve hunger cravings. Well, there are a few wicked things I could think of to do with melted ice cream.” She waited for a response that would never come. Then she grabbed my cup, scooping a heaping spoonful. “Open your mouth.”
“What?”
“You heard me, buster. Open your mouth.” The look on her face was stern. “Humor me.”
I lifted my eyebrows but did as she asked, trying not to laugh when she moved the spoon around in the air, acting as if it was an airplane trying to land. I accepted the bite, grabbing her wrist immediately and jerking her over the table. After swallowing, I stuck my fingers in her ice cream, immediately brushing the heaping amount down the side of her face.
“Hey! That was mean,” she whined.
“Turnabout is fair play.”
When she tried to return the favor, I grabbed her other arm, pulling even closer until our lips were almost touching. “Be careful teasing a man like me.”
