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“It’s good of you to offer,” he said. “But I can’t work until I know that Aidan is out of danger.”
Elle nodded. “The offer still stands for me to look after Chloe. Do you want me to come with you tonight to help you get Chloe settled? That way if she asks a question and you get stuck, you’ll have me for moral support.”
It was the least she could do. He was clearly suffering and doing the best that he could.
“You really are wonderful,” he said.
He pulled her into a hug that felt familiar and somehow...right.
* * *
Maybe it was sheer exhaustion or maybe it was Elle’s soothing presence, but Chloe was sound asleep within five minutes of them tucking her into bed. They’d ordered in a couple of pizzas for dinner—cheese for Chloe and pepperoni and mushroom for Elle and him. After dinner, Elle had helped Chloe with her bath and had gotten her ready for bed.
Just as Daniel had anticipated, at bedtime Chloe had asked about her dad and cried after they’d told her that he was hurt and had to sleep in the hospital until the doctor told him he could go home. She had asked if she could go see him and Daniel had told her he would ask the doctor. They would go as soon as the doctor said it was possible. He assured her that in the meantime, he was there to take care of her. They didn’t let her cry herself to sleep alone. They both stayed in her bedroom with her, rubbing her back and answering all her questions and assuring her that they would be here for her.
It was a little awkward when she’d asked if Elle would be there in the morning when she woke up. Daniel had been grateful when Elle jumped in and took the lead. “No, sweetie, I have to go home tonight.”
“Is that why you drove your own car?”
“It is. That way I can go home and your uncle Daniel can stay right here with you. He is going to bring you over to my house tomorrow morning. You and Gigi and I can play all day long. You can teach me how to play My Little Pony. Doesn’t that sound like fun?”
She’d nodded, momentarily placated. “Can I see my daddy tomorrow?”
Elle and Daniel locked gazes. “I’ll ask the doctor tomorrow when I see him,” he’d said, keeping his voice light and upbeat. It seemed to work because, with Princess Sweetie Pie tucked under her arm, Chloe’s eyes had grown heavy, and she’d drifted off to sleep.
Silently, they left her bedroom. He didn’t want Elle to leave, but he knew that if he didn’t think fast, she would. She was already edging toward the door.
“It was a great idea to ask Chloe about her Christmas plans,” he said, referring to their conversation during dinner. “Sometimes the obvious is right in front of you and you can’t even see it. I’d totally forgotten that Aidan had signed her up for the holiday camp at the school the week before Christmas. I’ll have to figure out the details. Like when it starts and the hours.”
He liked this common ground they’d found tucking Chloe into bed together and making sure she felt safe and secure. Given everything, it was remarkable that Elle could put her animosity for him aside to help him help his niece. She was pretty remarkable. He’d always known it, but this was proof.
When there was so much on the line right now—Aidan’s survival and prognosis, Chloe’s comfort and well-being—it felt a little selfish to want to keep her here with him. But her calming presence was keeping him sane, too.
“You’re really good with her, Daniel.”
“I love her. I mean, she and Aidan are all I have.”
“I’m so sorry this happened,” she said.
He didn’t know what to say and even if he did he doubted that he could push the words around the lump in his throat. She must’ve sensed his angst or maybe it was written all over his face, because she came to his rescue by offering her sweet smile.
“You’ve changed, haven’t you?” she said.
His heart twisted in a way that had him inwardly vowing to prove her right. “I have changed,” he said matter-of-factly. He didn’t want to give her any reason to believe he was kidding. “The years have shown me what’s important. That life is fragile. You don’t always get a second chance.”
