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And yes, obviously, I wasn’t immune to it.
My body had been dormant for the past year. Did it really need to wake up now? For Ellie, of all people?
It was wrong. So,sowrong on so many levels.
Even so, my eyes kept drifting back to Ellie—her soft skin and easy smiles. She was somehow the same and yet different from what I remembered. She seemed more confident. More self-assured. Or maybe I’d never paid as much attention to her as I was now.
“So…what’s on the schedule for the weekend?” she asked.
“Dinner with Mimi and Pops tonight! You’re coming too, right?” Savannah asked.
“I, um—”
“Yeah!” Maddox jumped up and down. “Please. Please.”
“You have to come,” Savannah said. “It’s family dinner, and you’re family.”
Ellie pulled Savannah into her side, but her wan expression told a different story. I had a feeling it had more to do with the prospect of dinner with her mother than exhaustion from all the travel she’d endured the past few days. I understood. An evening with Gloria was draining, even at the best of times.
“I can make an excuse about you being too tired if you want,” I offered.
“It’s fine,” Ellie said, turning her attention to Maddox as he approached her with a picture. She beamed down at his drawing as if he’d presented her with an original Monet. “Thanks toThe Vine, everyone knows I’m back in town. I might as well get it over with.”
I groaned. “Don’t tell me you read that trash.”
“Oh please.” She rolled her eyes. “Everyone readsThe Vine. It’s like the AV version of Gossip Girl. Besides, how else was I supposed to keep tabs on everything while I was in Australia?”
I laughed. “Whatever. I should never have asked.”
“Do you know who’s behind it?”
I shook my head and turned my attention to the fridge. “No. And I don’t want to.”
“Oh, come on.” She hopped up on the counter, legs dangling. She was so different from the kid sister I remembered. “You’re not even a little curious?”
“Nope.”
Maddox walked between her legs, and she trapped him. He giggled and tried to break free, and they made a game of it. I wished I could be so carefree when it came to the kids. She’d been here barely an hour, and already, it seemed effortless.
“Want to play outside with me?” Maddox finally asked Ellie. “We can be astronauts!”
Savannah frowned. “Ellie was going to read a book about koalas with me.”
The kids started arguing, their voices growing louder every second. I could feel my blood pressure rising. I was trying not to lose it. I didn’t want to scare Ellie off when help had only just arrived.
“Kids.” I held up my hands. “Let’s give Ellie some time to settle in. In the meantime, you can help me take Rex for a walk.” And distract him from digging that damn hole.
“Thanks.” Ellie ruffled Maddox’s hair, and he didn’t recoil. He didn’t scowl. He…let her. “We’ll have tons of time to play, I promise. Right now, I should shower and put on something more ‘suitable’ for dinner.”
I didn’t see what was wrong with her outfit. Other than the fact that the sliver of her stomach was distracting. But knowing Gloria, Ellie was right.
I grabbed Rex’s leash while Savannah gave Ellie a hug. Maddox and I put on our shoes then he surprised me by running back to Ellie for his own hug. She wrapped him up in her arms, and I swallowed hard before looking away. I just… I couldn’t.
I was his father. I’d been here all this time. And yet…
Stop.
This was a good thing—Maddox letting someone in. Seeking comfort and affection. It shouldn’t matter that it wasn’t from me. Though it was easier to tell myself that than to accept it.
