With my hand on the knob, I hear my eight-year-old tell her, “You’re okay now. I’m here.” My heart cracks in two that he has to be the adult in this situation.
I turn the knob and walk in. “I’m here, too.” I hurry to her side.
“Where’s Daddy? I called and called him, but only Liam came,” Lily says as Digger walks in.
Thank goodness he does because I don’t know how to answer her question.
“Digger!” my daughter squeals. “I had the worst dream. I fell out of your plane!”
He walks over to her and sits on the side of her bed. “That sounds more like a nightmare,” he tells her gently. “But it’ll never happen in real life because I’d never take off if you don’t have your seatbelt buckled tight. There will be no falling out of my plane.”
I sit on the other side of the bed and pull my children into my arms. “I love you both so much.”
“I love you too, Mommy,” Lily says. “Can we go back to the cabin with you tonight? I need to sleep in your bed with you.”
I look over at Digger and feel the heat of what we almost shared. “How did you know I came to take you home? What a smart girl you are,” I tell her soothingly.
Liam leans closer to me and whispers, “I don’t know where Dad is. I came running when Lily called out in her sleep, but he didn’t.”
“He called me to come get you,” I lie. “He had to go to a meeting.”
“A meeting, at night? Here, in Alaska?” Liam is clearly not buying it.
I swallow hard and try to sell it. “He’s a really busy guy, isn’t he?” Deciding a change of subject is in order, I say, “Guess what? Aunt Prisha and Uncle Ethan are here. They got here this afternoon.”
“Are they at our cabin?” my daughter asks.
“They’re staying with my sister and the boys,” Digger tells them. “I can take you all down to see them tomorrow.”
Liam scoots out of bed and leaves the room, returning with his backpack in record time. Then he starts packing Lily’s. “Let’s hit it,” he says. He looks at Digger, and adds, “Thanks for bringing my mom.” His voice is laced with emotion.
I’m sure he knows I’m covering for Brett about something. But there’s no way I’m going to tell him that his dad left him to drink in a bar. I can’t even wrap my head around that.
“You’re my main guy.” Digger ruffles the back of Liam’s hair. “I mean, who else can I trust to drive the golf carts as carefully as you?”
Liam sighs like he’s trying to fill a balloon. “No one, I guess.”
“Will you carry me, Digger?” Lily asks. “My feet are cold, and I didn’t bring slippers.”
“You bet, little lady.” He picks her up, wrapping her in a blanket off the bed. He smiles at me. “You ready to go?”
“Yeah. I’m ready.” Liam and I follow behind. The kids doze off in the car on the way back to the lodge. Liam wakes up long enough to get into the golf cart. Digger puts Lily on my lap, and we continue on, the air around us humming with contentment.
My plans for a romantic night are stalled, but it’s probably for the best. I have enough complications right now without adding one more. One more long overdue, really incredible complication … One more sexy-as-sin complication …
Once we tuck the kids in, Digger builds a fire in the living room. “You okay?” he asks.
“I just can’t believe Brett would have done something so stupid. He knows so little about our kids that he clearly doesn’t even know that Lily has nightmares all the time.Orhe doesn’t care …”
He reaches his hand out to me and sits down on the couch, pulling me next to him. “He just can’t seem to stop proving how unfit he is to be a father or a husband, can he?”
“No, he can’t.” I’m ashamed to have built a life with someone so horrible. My stomach churns with what’s coming. People can’t seem to get enough of ugly celebrity divorces. My heartache is about to become entertainment for the masses. “This is all going to get so much worse before it gets better.”
Digger puts his hand on my cheek and gently rests my head on his shoulder. “But then itwillget better, Harper. You’ll be free of all of it someday.”
“I wish that day was today,” I say, inhaling the scent of him. “I want it all to be over so I can give the kids a normal, happy upbringing. Some stability.”
“If that’s what you want,” he says, “I’ll help you.”