“Daddy, Vi,” she whispered, and we both turned around as we stood in the doorway.
“Yeah, baby girl,” Charlie said as I made my way back to her bed and sat beside her.
“I had fun tonight,” she said.
“I did too.” I leaned down and kissed her forehead.
“I love Daddy and I love you. But most of all, I love that we feel like a family. A real family,” she said as her eyes fell closed.
I placed a hand on my heart, because I felt her words so deeply, it was difficult to speak.
Because we were a real family.
Chapter Thirty
Charlie
I laughed as Harper filled Violet in on some school gossip that I had zero interest in, but damn, I loved the way these two just got one another.
Violet had been staying over at our house most nights, and now when she didn’t sleep here, I had a hard time sleeping without her.
I never thought I’d be dependent on another human, but here I was.
Violet Beaumont had brought me back to life in a way.
I’d been living for my little girl, and that would never change, but I looked at the future differently now. I wanted things that I never thought I’d want.
“Davey definitely has a crush on you if he’s giving you half his cookie every day at lunch,” Violet said as she reached for her orange juice.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa ... She’s seven years old. Davey needs to take a hike,” I said, and they both laughed.
“Denise Quigley has a boyfriend,” Harper said.
“Well, good for her. You’re not dating until college.”
“Oh boy.” Violet shook her head and used her hand to cover her laughter. “Good luck with that.”
“Daddy.” Harper looked at me like she was seven going on thirty.
“Harps.” I mimicked her tone.
“I don’t want a boyfriend. The boys in my class are annoying.”
“Attagirl. Boys are bad news.”
Violet rolled her eyes. “You were a boy once.”
“Correct. And I was bad news.”
More laughter.
This was our new normal, and I fucking loved it.
“Daddy has so many rules,” Harper grumped.
“‘Stay away from boys. Don’t talk to strangers. Listen to your father.’ What else you got, Harps?” I asked.
“‘No demon.’” She cocked her head at me like I should have known what she was going to say.
