No, no. It’s not that. She is my daughter. I’m positive of it. She would just prefer I wasn’t.
“I’ll…er…I’ll give you two space while you get settled. And if she would rather have a crib…well, let me know. I’ll be in my office if you need anything.” I push to my feet and practically sprint to the door, needing to leave before it’s too late.
Seven.
Six.
Five.
“Garrett.” My name rides on a rushed breath. “Thank you. Thank you for everything you’ve done for us so far. You didn’t need to do any of this”—Athena gestures to the room with her hand—“but you did. You’ve given Peony something she hasn’t had…” The last word seems to fade before it’s fully formed. Like there’s more to the sentence but it never comes.
“And what’s that exactly?”
A flush spreads across Athena’s cheeks. Her mouth opens and closes several times as if she’s scrambling to find the right words.
Peony’s sudden high-pitched wail rips through the room like a tornado siren, yanking my attention back to her. Tears stream down her face, and the familiar helplessness kicks me in the ass again.
“Hey, sweet girl, it’s gonna be okay.” Athena picks her up and carries her to the window. The view is the same as from Athena’s room. “Should we see if we can spot any fairies?”
“I’ll get the rest of your stuff.” My words are barely heard over Peony’s wails.
I hurry to the door, unable to get out of the room fast enough, and grab the bags from the Explorer. I leave them outside Peony’s room forAthena to put away. By the time I’m finished, Peony’s meltdown has petered out, and I can hear Athena’s gentle voice reading to her.
I retreat to my office and sit in the wingback chair overlooking the backyard. Instead of writing, like I should be doing, I get up and remove from the bookshelf the framed photo of Kenda, Zara, and me. The picture was taken during our junior year in college. All three of us are smiling at the camera.
“Why is she so scared of me?” I’m not sure who I’m asking: Kenda or Zara. Or maybe them both. “How am I supposed to be her father if she looks at me like I’m the Big Bad Wolf getting ready to eat her?”
The timer goes off,pulling me out of my story, and the sound of giggling draws my attention from the laptop screen to the window. I remove my reading glasses and place them on the side table next to the wingback chair. Relief flows through me, leaves me feeling lighter than normal, at how many pages I’ve written since sitting down at the computer. It’s the most I’ve written since Peony came into my life.
I was so engrossed in the story, I hadn’t noticed Peony and Athena outside. Athena is blowing bubbles, and Peony is trying to catch them.
She toddles as fast as she can around the small patch of grass, tripping a few times, but keeps missing the bubbles as they float away.
I would go out there and lift her so she can pop them, but I doubt she would appreciate that. So I just watch Peony and Athena for a few minutes laughing and having fun.
My phone pings with a text.
Mom: Just checking that I’m still getting to meet my granddaughter after dinner. [smiling emoji]
Me: Yes, that’s the plan.
Me: Remember, she’s nervous with strangers.
Me: Don’t rush her.
Mom: [sad emoji] I’ll do my best to curtail my excitement.
A delicious smell greets me as I walk to the kitchen. I noticed it from the office but thought it was my stomach playing tricks on me, hinting I needed to make something for dinner soon.
I enter the kitchen to find several pots on the stove. Two of the gas burners are off, but the third one is set at simmer. Athena had agreed to make dinners for us, but I hadn’t expected her to cook on her first day here. Guess I’d forgotten to mention that to her.
Relieved I don’t have to disappoint them with my unimpressive cooking skills, I slip on my sneakers and join Peony and Athena outside. They’re still running on the grass, laughing. Neither of them seems to have noticed me keeping to the shadows of the house, and I watch them for a minute.
“What should I be now?” Athena asks her.
“Ti-ger.” Peony growls, the sound more like that of a tiger cub.
“The tiger is coming to eat you!” Athena’s voice is the low purr of a large feline, her throat sounding slightly strained. She stalks toward Peony, her movements graceful.
