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“Is everything okay?” Everly asked, glancing at me instead of the screen.
“Of course.” I dove into the popcorn, chuckling when she protested. “This is mine.”
“We have to share, Cinderella.”
Her face pinched. “Don’t call me that.”
Yet it was how I’d probably always seen her, as the girl who needed to be saved, not from a wicked stepmother or stepsisters but from herself. Her outlook had changed when her dad left, and it was up to me and Wren to show her that love was possible.
I knew it was because Wren showed me the capacity to love unconditionally. But Everly didn’t have that. Her family life was less than ideal. As kids, I’d been pissed at her father and her mother. Neither had protected her. Shielded her. Took the time to tell her she was special and loved. That the fact her father was gone didn’t have to mean anything. It didn’t have to define her. She wasn’t less lovable. But no one had shown her that. And the damage was done.
I had my work cut out for me, but I knew what I needed to do. Treat Everly like the princess she was. She couldn’t resist. Or, at least, I hoped not.
The credits came on, and Wren declared she was tired. “Carry me.”
“Aren’t you too young for that?” And did she forget she was supposed to be helping me out with Everly, giving us time alone together?
I guess it was too late in the day, and she was exhausted from the week. She reverted to being the little girl who needed me for everything. I knew it wouldn’t last much longer, so I asked Everly, “Would you mind grabbing the bowls? I need to get her home.”
“Of course.”
I crouched down so Wren could climb onto my back, and I carried her piggyback-style to the door, where I let her tumble to the floor. She landed on her feet with a giggle. “Daddy!”
“You asked for a ride. You didn’t specify the landing.”
“You always do that.”
“And you love it.” I gathered her things and packed her book bag, hating that she had to leave.
In the car, she asked, “Do you think it worked?”
“I think it was step one of a very long book. We have our work cut out for us.”
“Tell me about it. Who doesn’t love fairy tales?”
People whose childhoods were cut short, who were abandoned by their father and then their mother. Maybe not physically, but mentally.
I met her gaze in the rearview mirror. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
I let her words wrap around my heart. It had always been enough before, but now I needed and wanted something more.
Twelve
EVERLY
On Saturday morning, we cooked a large breakfast, watched cartoons, and lounged around until Harrison declared it was time to go ice-skating.
I loved hanging around the house almost as much as Harrison’s spontaneity. He’d always been full of life, but it was magnified living with him. If I thought he wasn’t like that behind closed doors, I was wrong. Harrison was fun, engaging, and determined to show me a good time. Who was I to say no?
I didn’t have skates, but Wren and Harrison did. It was something they did together often on his weekends with her. Harrison ordered tickets to the outdoor rink while we got ready. I’d pulled out everyone’s warmest hats and gloves because it was unseasonably cold for November.
“It’s opening day for the rink,” Harrison said casually when we were on the road.
“Will it be busy?” I asked.
“I suspect most people aren’t even thinking about ice-skating yet. It’s early in the season, despite the weather.” He waved a hand at the gray clouds.
