I rush to her side, helping her down the stairs to the nearby bench. As we sit, a ball full of energy bum rushes me.
“Hi, Mr. Ryder,” Amelia says, her voice filled with excitement.
“Hey, Amelia. Having fun?”
“Yep, sure am. Grandma was going to take me to the park.”
I look over at Dorothy, who looks utterly exhausted from her trek outdoors.
She shrugs. “How can you say no to that smile?”
I glance over at Amelia—my daughter. Christ, that’s going to take some getting used to. Amelia’s smiling from ear to ear. There’s something about her smile, about the way her eyes perfectly match mine, that sets my fears to rest. Sure, I’m still scared, but now more than ever, I’m determined. Determined to keep her safe. To make her smile. To give her the life that she deserves.
“Any particular reason for the visit?” Dorothy’s raised eyebrows match her question.
“In fact, there is.”
“Did we pass our test?” Amelia asks.
Her innocence and lack of understanding of how the testing works make me smile.
I chuckle at her reference. “Yeah, Amelia. We sure did.”
Dorothy’s smile widens as she watches Amelia jump into my arms, her arms wrapping around my neck.
“I knew it,” she exclaims.
With her arms tightly around me, I smile and squeeze her back.
“Me, too,” I whisper. It’s the strangest feeling. For all intents and purposes, Amelia and I are complete strangers, yet I feel a strong connection to her, almost as if it’s innate. Based on her level of comfort with me, she seems to feel it as well.
Amelia’s face grows serious. “Am I going to live with you?”
As much as I would love to ease her into this, to take our time, I know I can’t. The truth is, I showed up in Virginia Beach just in time. Dorothy doesn’t have a lot of time, and Amelia and I have a lot of catching up to do.
“Yeah, you are,” I tell her.
“What about Grandma? Who is going to take care of her?” Amelia asks, her eyes welling with tears.
“Amelia, honey, we talked about this,” Dorothy replies.
Talking about it and grasping it are two completely different things. Hell, even as adults, it’s hard to let go of someone you love, especially when it’s something as permanent as death.
“But you need me,” Amelia cries.
I look over at Dorothy. She definitely needs someone.
Dorothy shakes her head. “And you need time to get to know your daddy. I don’t want to get in the way of that.”
“But you’re sick,” Amelia argues.
Taking Amelia’s hands in mine, I give them a squeeze.
“What if I told you I was going to hire someone to help take care of her?”
“Ryder, you don’t have to do that.”
“I wasn’t asking,” I tell Dorothy, giving her a slight nudge. After all she’s done for Amelia, it’s the least I can do. I look back at Amelia. “We’ll hire someone to help make sure she’s taken care of, and you can visit her as much as you like. How does that sound?”