“He doesn’t look very nice.”
“When he’s nervous or afraid, he gets intense. I promise he will never hurt you.” All the Knights had severe expressions when dealing with challenging situations. Buff, Hustler, and Spectre had been the most approachable. Abe and Storm were the most intense. Then, Bone had the iciest personality.
“Why is he afraid?” Her curiosity about Abe gave me hope that they would be okay.
“He’s afraid you won’t like him and won’t want him to be your dad.” I rolled her over to see her face. My heart hurt, noticing a large wet spot on her pillow. “He’s a good man. I hope you’ll give him a chance.”
“Will he hit you like my other… I mean, like Stein did?” She was such a sweet and caring person.
“No. Boys shouldn’t hit girls. Remember I told you that?”
She nodded. “Grayson never hits me. He just chases me.”
“It’s okay if he chases you, just no hitting.” I brushed her bangs to the side. “Do you want to eat supper with us? I made fish sticks, mac and cheese, and biscuits.”
“Biscuits from a can or homemade?” She didn’t like biscuits in a can.
“Homemade. In fact, the ones I’ve always made are from your grandma’s special recipe.”
“I have another grandma?” Her gray eyes went wide.
“Yes.” I held back a sob, but I couldn’t stop the tears from skittering down my face. “You also have a granddad and a lot of uncles and an auntie. They’re all nice and will love you a lot.” Despite what Abe’s brothers did to break us up, they would never mistreat Nova.
“How many uncles?” She sat up and dried her eyes.
“Four.”
“That’s more than Grayson has. He has two uncles and no aunties.”
“Shall we go eat?” I sniffled and cleared my throat. “I bet Abe will tell you all about his brothers and sister.” I reached for her hand.
“Okay, Mommy. My stomach was making noises a minute ago.” She took my hand. “Do I have to call him dad?”
“Only if you want to. You do what feels comfortable.”
We went to the kitchen, where I’d left Abe sitting at the table. He lifted his worried gaze.
“Let me serve up the food.” I put her in her chair.
I glanced at Abe and Nova from the stove. They were sitting across from each other. The poor guy looked the most distressed I’d ever seen him. Nova’s head was tilted down, but I could tell she was staring at him. I didn’t want to force her to talk to him or vice versa, push him to engage her. They should ease into getting to know each other, so their relationship would develop naturally.
I just hoped they’d love each other one day as much as I loved both of them.
20
Nova
Abe’s eyes and hair were the same color as mine. I remembered Grayson saying Stein didn’t look like me. I wonder if Abe did.
Mommy put our plates on the table and sat down. She patted my knee and smiled.
Before I reached for the tartar sauce, Abe took it and squirted some on his plate, then did the same to the ketchup. I couldn’t believe it. I’d never seen a grownup do that before. It made me happy, but I didn’t want to look happy.
“You’re joking, right?” Mommy laughed at him.
“What?” he asked her.
“Tartar sauce and ketchup?” She made a face, sticking her tongue out.