He was drowning. “I…”Dammit.He shouldn’t have hesitated like that. There was only one answer. And it wasn’t a lie. He would stay in touch with her as long as she needed him. “I am.”
“You mine, Cole.” She settled against him and snuggled into his chest. “Cole mine.” The trust this girl gave him—
He could so easily fuck it up.
But he couldn’t think like that. He had no choice but to do his damnedest to be worthy of it.
Because in some way he couldn’t explain, the little girl was right.
Evvie’s mine.
As he stood to leave the pantry, he found Trevor and Paisley watching them.
“Can I wear my robe now, Hailey?” Paisley asked.
“Of course, you can. It’s yours.”
Trevor watched the scene with an odd expression, and Cole had no idea what his dad was thinking.
“Come on, Evvie.” The six-year-old motioned for her sister. “Let’s put on our robes.”
Evvie wiggled to lift herself out of Cole’s lap. “And our fifis?”
“Yeah, let’s wear those, too.”
“I’ll get mine.” Hailey hurried after them. “We’ll all wear them.”
“Fifis?” Cole asked his dad.
“The highland cow slippers I bought everyone.”
Cole didn’t get it. “Why does she call them fifis?”
“I told them they were for her ‘feetsies,’ so apparently that’s what she thinks they’re called.”
Adorable. “You better have brought a pair for yourself because this clan’s about to get serious with our Christmas onesies and fifis.”
“Uh, no. I didn’t get myself any.” His dad still watched him strangely. “But I can still pass as a distant relation in my onesie.”
Cole chuckled and moved to go around him, but his dad put a hand on his arm.
“You’re an exceptional man. I’m not sure I ever told you that.” He sounded more intense than Cole had ever seen him.
“Thanks.”Where’s this coming from?“What’s going on, Dad?”
“Nothing. I couldn’t be prouder of you.”
They filled the next several days with family time and holiday activities. The dog sled ride through the forest, all five of them tucked under thick wool blankets, was a favorite. The girls had laughed the whole way, and Cole hadn’t been able to take his eyes off them.
There was more ice skating, cocoa, and snowmen, and they made sure to give the girls loads of quiet time to play with their toys, make cookies, and read books.
On the fourth day after Christmas, his dad didn’t come over. Something had been off with him for a while, so Cole used his key to get into his childhood home. Once inside, he stood in the foyer and took in the wood beamed ceiling, the gleaming hardwood floors, and the light flooding in from all the windows.
It looked the same, of course. Nothing had changed. His dad had a staff that took care of everything.
But it didn’t feel like a home.
And he could only say that because his home used to be just like this one. Before slippers and fleece blankets, light sabers and sippy cups, books and blocks, were strewn all over. Before two little girls had left their mark on him, one with her chocolate handprint, and the other with her braids.