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I cupped the back of her neck beneath her silky curls.
“No. She wants to see Sia.”
“Okay.” Her soft hands ran under the hem of my shirt. “I’ll clear out and give you space. What time do you need me to be out of here?”
“No.” I shook my head adamantly and tightened my grip on her hair. “I want you here.”
“Yeah?” she breathed.
“Yeah. I want you here always.”
A few hours later, I was no longer calm about the impending visit. I paced the length of the family room while I waited.
Sia sat on the floor with her favorite toys.
Hope stretched out beside her, sending the toys back into Sia’s orbit each time she tossed them.
Would Viola blame me for the division in her family?
Would she feel betrayed by my abandonment?
Fuck.
She was such a tiny little thing when I left. So tiny, yet it was the memory of her love that sustained me on more than one dark night.
Who was there for her?
Regret slammed into me, momentarily stealing the breath from my lungs.
I should have reached out.
Why didn’t I reach out?
The answer came immediately.
Because I couldn’t lose her, too.
If I didn’t connect with her, I didn’t risk dismissal. And there were days I clung to her perfect love like a lifeline.
Could she love me again?
There was no more time to wonder.
The doorbell rang.
I froze in place.
Hope stood and aligned herself against my back, ran her soft hands up and down my chest. “It’ll be okay,” she promised. “Whatever happens, it’ll be okay.”
I nodded. Swallowed. “Can you get the door?”
She moved around in front of me and tipped her chin back.
I stared down at her stiffly, my shutters firmly in place.
“Give me a kiss, old man,” she whispered.
And like that, I softened. It would be okay. Because she was with me. I bent my neck and brushed my lips across hers. “Thank you.”
