The sight made me stop. They looked so natural together. It wasn’t forced or awkward. It was as though they had known each other forever. I never realized what was missing in the house until I saw something as simple as the woman I loved painting my kid’s nails.
Grace was laughing, some joke between them that I couldn’t hear. Whatever was said made Noelle’s eyes dance with excitement.
“Hi, Daddy,” Noelle said without even turning to see me. The kid had eyes in the back of her head.
Grace turned, startled for a split second, but her smile was bright and easy when she saw me. “You’re home!” She slid out of her chair and came over to kiss me on the cheek, the scent of lavender lotion faint in the air. “Noelle and I decided to have a little fun this afternoon. She insisted on doing my nails, so I thought I’d return the favor. Don’t worry, I’ll clean it all up.”
I waved her off, not bothered by the mess.
“We’re twins!” Noelle beamed, her grin wide as she held up her little hands to show off her sparkly, bright pink nails.
“I see that,” I said, walking over to the counter to ruffle her hair. “I’m glad you guys had fun.”
Grace smiled softly. “I love getting to know her. I thought it would be nice to do something girlie, just the two of us.”
“Yeah, Dad. No boys allowed.”
I raised my hands in surrender. “Okay, I’m going to shower and change upstairs. Carry on and make sure you thank Grace for doing this, Noelle.”
Grace met my eyes, a quiet understanding passing between us. “It means a lot to me. To both of us.”
I woke up to the sound of tiny footsteps padding down the hallway. At first, I thought I had imagined it—just the creaks of the house settling in the night—but then my bedroom door cracked open.
Grace left after Noelle was in bed. She was helping Fiona with redecorating her cottage, and The Grand and was expecting some packages early in the morning, even though I did try to convince her to stay for a while longer.
“Daddy?”
Noelle’s voice was small, barely above a whisper. My chest tightened instantly.
“Hey, baby girl,” I murmured, sitting up and reaching toward the nightstand to flick on the lamp. My eyes struggled to adjust to the light at first before settling on Noelle in her princess pajamas, her hair a tangled mess, as she held Mr. Snuffles. She looked so much younger than nine. It brought me back to her toddler days. “What’s wrong?”
She hesitated for a second before crawling up onto the bed beside me. I could tell she was trying to put on a brave face, but something was bothering her. The way she nervously toyed with her charm bracelet didn’t escape me.
“I had a bad dream,” she admitted, barely looking at me.
I wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close. “Do you want to tell me about it?”
She shook her head, her face burrowing into my side. I didn’t push. Instead, I just held her, rubbing slow, comforting circles on her back. She was always my brave little girl, the one who argued with grown adults at the bar, who never shied away from a challenge or speaking her mind. But right now, she was a baby again, small and vulnerable and needing the only parent she had.
After a minute, she let out a breath. “I don’t want a big birthday party this year,” she mumbled.
That surprised me. Noelle loved her birthday. She’d been talking about turning ten for months. Not to mention, she was obsessed with themes, and she had lists for me on what she wanted as gifts. Her birthday was on Christmas Day so we havebeen debating whether to have the party before or after winter break.
“You sure?” I asked, trying to keep my voice light and not show my concern. “I thought you wanted a big one this time. Double digits and all.”
She shook her head more firmly. “I just … I don’t think I’d like it.”
Something about the way she said it made my gut twist.
“You don’t have to have a big party if you don’t want one,” I told her gently. “We can do something small.”
“Can Grace come?” Noelle asked, curling closer as I nodded.
I didn’t know what had sparked the change, but I knew her well enough to recognize when she was holding something back. I didn’t want her to think she had to carry things on her own. I was here for her. Hell, she had a whole town who worshipped her.
But I wouldn’t press her. Not tonight. Instead, I kissed the top of her head and kept rubbing slow circles until she was asleep again. I stayed awake longer, staring at the ceiling, my mind replaying the tremble in her voice. Something was going on, and I had to find out what.
CHAPTER 27
