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I watched as they started working, creating the different towers of their castle. All the while, Wesley chatted with Emmie. I couldn’t quite make out their conversation, but now and then, her laughter came to me on the wind, and it was a beautiful sound.
Wesley was so good with her. He could be so cold and harsh. I’d seen him with his betas, and I’d seen how he could treat me, but with Emmie, he was nothing but warm.
It felt unfair that she didn’t know he was her father. He wasn’t just someone who helped her; he was her blood.
I hadn’t told her because I didn’t want her to get hurt, but when I saw the way he treated her and made a point of spending time with her, I wondered if it was something I could risk.
What if she knew, and it didn’t hurt her? What if he was part enough of her life that she didn’t lose someone just after finding him?
They spent time in the sun until dusk started to fall and a chilly wind started. When they finally came back to the blanket, it was time to pack up and go home.
We reversed our trip here—getting dressed in the changing rooms, getting onto the dragon’s back, and Wesley flew us back to Las Vegas.
I couldn’t say that we were returning to the real world, because it all felt like one big dream, but it wasn’t only a nightmare anymore.
There were good parts, too.
After a quick dinner and bath, I tucked Emmie into bed, and she passed out almost immediately. She was exhausted after a day of playing in the sun and the sea.
“Thank you,” I said to Wesley when I found him at his bar again.
Drinking seemed to be a crutch. I never saw him drunk, and the alcohol didn’t change the way he acted at all, but he was hiding from something, and I didn’t know what.
“Anytime,” Wesley said. “I thought it would be good to just break away for a while.”
“You have no idea. You were great with her today.”
“She’s a sweet kid.”
I nodded. “She’s everything.”
We sat in silence. Wesley had poured a drink, but I noticed he didn’t touch it. It sat on the bar, forgotten.
“When you said you would help us more, does that mean only money, or will Emmie be able to see you?”
“What does she need to see me for?” Wesley asked.
“You’re her father.”
Wesley stiffened. “I thought we talked about this.”
“I thought you might have changed your mind, since you’ve been spending so much time with her.”
“Just because I’m nice to her doesn’t mean I have what it takes to be her father.”
“You’re already doing what it takes, Wes,” I said softly. “That’s how kids spell love. T-I-M-E.”
Wesley shook his head, reaching for his drink. I intercepted him, putting my hand on his. I interlinked my fingers with his.
“I like how things are,” I said. “I like that you’re doing this. Thank you.”
I didn’t want to push him so that he shut down again.
“I don’t know how to do this,” Wesley said, and his eyes were filled with emotion I didn’t understand.
“There’s nothing to know,” I said. “You’re already doing it.”
“I can’t,” he said.
