AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No. It kind of tickles.” Ana reaches for my daughter’s hand and gently places it on her stomach.
“Oh,” Sophie gasps as the baby shifts under her hand. “That’s the baby?”
“Yeah. Amazing, isn’t it?” Ana and Sophie lock eyes. “Your dad is still going to be your dad. And he’ll love playing with you, even when the baby is here. I’ll be home all day, waiting for you to get back from school. I’m hoping you’ll help me feed him, give him a bath, read to him, and show him how to play with toys.”
“I can do that.” She sounds more confident.
Ana’s gaze and mine meet over Sophie’s head, and I acknowledge with a nod of thanks that she made sure Sophie isn’t left out.
It’s exactly what my daughter needed.
“In fact, you know all those things we bought the other night?” Ana asks, stroking Sophie’s forehead.
“Uh, huh?”
“Once your dad has the crib and changing table put together, will you help me put the clothes and diapers inside?”
“I can decide where everything goes?”
“Of course.”
“But why are you living here?” Her face turns curious again. “Olivia didn’t.”
A pin drop could be heard in the room for a few seconds.
I admit, I don’t have an answer for that. I can’t tell Sophie how I feel about Ana before I explain that her mother and I are getting a divorce.
I don’t want her to think I’m being unfaithful.
Even if Sophie doesn’t understand infidelity, she’s smart enough to understand mommies and daddies don’t kiss other people.
I hope she doesn’t put together the events of my divorce with Ana living here. It will make the conversation about Ana and me giving this a shot to be a family, and that the baby will be her brother, more emotionally triggering.
“Your dad is helping me because I don’t have anywhere else to go,” Ana says.
Simple. Truth.
“Why?” Sophie’s face scrunches.
“A bad person stole all my money and my family…they’re far away.”
“There’s nothing else you need to worry about, honey.” I interject into this conversation. She’s my daughter. “I didn’t want Ana to be alone. We have this big house. And she’ll need help with the baby. Is that okay?”
I hold my breath, waiting for her to answer.
I’m not a parent who lets a child make the decisions. But this is a big deal, a woman living with us, having a baby.
A woman who I want to share my bed with every night.
“Yes, Daddy.” Sophie nods and hands the flamingo to Ana. “It’s okay.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Ana
“Shhh,” a raspy whisper comes from behind me on the bed, waking me from a deep sleep.
It’s almost four a.m.
