Page 43 of Worth the Fall

“I get it. I respect that. And they will too.”

“Can I go, Daddy? Please?” Clara clasped her hands together in front of her face as she begged her father for permission.

“Yeah, you can go. But best behavior, okay? And listen to Brooklyn. You’re not the boss.”

“I will. Pinkie swear,” she said before putting her pinkie in the air and waiting for Thomas to shake it.

“Please keep an eye on her.” Thomas directed the statement toward me. “She gets distracted easily and wanders off if you aren’t paying attention.”

“I do not,” Clara argued, but Thomas ignored her.

“She does. And then just bring her to my office when you finish.”

“Of course. I’ll watch her. We’ll see you in a bit,” I said before grabbing my notepad and sucking in a quick breath.

Being an only child with no siblings to make me an aunt, I wasn’t around kids all that often, and while it should have been uncomfortable, Clara made it easy. When she reached for my free hand unexpectedly and gripped it tight, I wasn’t sure what to do, and I refused to turn around and see Thomas’s face, which I imagined was probably not pleased by her sweet gesture.

So, I just held her little hand in mine and walked us toward the elevators, silently willing myself not to freak out. I let her press the button, and when the doors opened, we stepped inside, and I let out a breath in relief.

Clara dropped my hand and looked up at me. “I think my daddy likes you. And you and me, we’re going to be best friends. Don’t you think so, Little Bear Slaying Princess?”

I got choked up by the simple question, and I had no idea why. Kids had never made me weepy or emotional in the past, so how was it possible that this little girl was already wiggling her way under my skin and asking to stay there?

I’M SO SCREWED

THOMAS

Watching Brooklyn interact with my daughter did something to every single part of me. I’d seen other women with Clarabel before, but none of them had made me feel any kind of way about it, other than annoyed.

Brooklyn wasn’t trying to impress me or land me. Her behavior toward my daughter wasn’t fake in any way. And she wasn’t befriending my best girl in order to get my attention. Hell, if anything, Brooklyn had probably asked Clara to help her outin spite ofme. I swore if I told that woman to stay away from my daughter, she’d probably start scheduling playdates with her.

I wanted to hate it. I wanted to hate everything about it, but I couldn’t. Clara had looked so damn happy when she reached for Brooklyn’s hand and held it in her own. Her excitement radiated off her little body as I watched them walk away like they’d done it a thousand times before.

My heart pinched. Clara didn’t have many women in her life, aside from Mrs. Green and that teacher of hers. I knew that she was lacking in female companionship, even if she wasn’t quite aware of it yet. She’d never once said anything to me about wishing she had a mom or two parents or anything like that.

There were the occasional times when she asked about Jenna, but those were few and far between, and she was rarely sad about it. Her line of questioning was always more inquisitive than anything else. It made sense to me since Clara had only known this life. Eight years filled with one dad, one Pops, and two knuckleheaded uncles that would do anything for her.