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“Sure. If you want to wear something else, you can. But make sure your outfit has pants.”
She had a tendency to prefer skirts, especially ones that had little shorts attached to them. However, that night, if she wanted to go on the slides, pants would be a better choice.
“If you need help, let me know,” Blake called as Amelia headed to her room.
It had taken some time and trial and error to get the hang of helping a little girl with her clothes and hair. Where he would have picked practical items to dress her in, she’d wanted ruffles, lace, and bows. Thankfully, she wasn’t as picky about her hairstyles. She was happy with a ponytail most of the time, as long as it had a bow or ribbon attached to it.
When she reappeared a few minutes later, she was wearing a pair of dark blue leggings and a long-sleeved T-shirt with a sparkly unicorn on it. He had no idea what drew her to the mythical animal, but if it was on anything, she wanted it.
And who was he to deny her something that made her happy? She’d dealt with a lot of sadness and upheaval in her short life, and his goal now was to bring some peace and joy to her life.
“Can you put this ribbon around my ponytail, Daddy?” Amelia asked as she held out a ribbon that matched her shirt.
“Sure thing.” He sat down on a chair at the table, then drew her between his knees and turned her to face the television. “Did you bring your brush?”
When she held it over her shoulder, he took it, then carefully slid the previous bow and elastic from her hair. With gentle strokes, he smoothed the fine wayward strands of hair.
“So, what did you do in school today?”
He tried a different version of the question he’d asked her earlier, hoping one of these days, she’d answer him with a torrent of words. Even though he also wasn’t a chatty person, he lived for the day when Amelia would shower him with details about what had happened in school.
She might take after him and always be more on the reserved side. Or maybe, once her life had settled down, she’d begin to open up a bit more.
All he wanted was for her to feel comfortable and secure. It was his goal to give her the stability she really hadn’t had much of in her life so far.
“Miss H told me that my shirt was pretty today, and that she liked it.”
“Did she?” Blake worked her hair into the hair elastic. “That was nice of her.”
“Yes. She’s nice.”
Blake of twelve years ago wouldn’t have been surprised to hear that. Actually, he wasn’t really surprised now, either. It was more that he was relieved. Relieved that Amelia had ended up in Charli’s class, and that Charli was still the nice person she’d been all those years ago.
“There you go,” he said as he finished attaching the ribbon to her ponytail.
She stepped away, then turned to face him. “Do I look okay?”
“You look beautiful, Berry.”
A quick smile flitted across her face, and for a moment, emotion choked Blake. Her smiles were a special gift, and he was grateful for each one she gave him, no matter how small.
“Can we go now?” she asked.
Blake glanced at his watch. The carnival was supposed to open at four, so if they left right then, they’d be there when it started. He didn’t know how long Amelia would want to stay. This was the first time they’d been at an event like the carnival, so he had no idea if she’d want to hang around the whole time or leave after a little while.
Either was fine. He was just glad to be out of the apartment.
They tended to spend a lot of time at home when they weren’t working or at school, though he did try to make sure that they got out for a walk every couple of days. It seemed to be something she enjoyed, and he was always up for getting some fresh air and exercise.
Previously, he’d worked out nearly every day of the week, but he wasn’t able to do that now. Thankfully, his aunt had stepped in to take care of Amelia a couple of times a week, so Blake was able to go to the gym on those nights. It was definitely better than nothing.
“Once you get your shoes on, we can go.”
Amelia ran to the door and stared at the shoe rack for a moment before choosing a pair of purple slip-on runners. Blake shoved his feet into his favorite black Chelsea boots, then gathered up his keys, wallet, and phone and followed Amelia out of the apartment.
When they reached the school, it was clear that they weren’t the only ones who had wanted to be there right at the start. Thankfully, he found a spot to park on the street not too far from the school, then helped Amelia out of the truck. She kept a tight grip on his hand as they headed down the sidewalk toward the school.
The towering shade trees that lined the street cast dappled shadows on them. Their leaves were already turning yellow and orange, and Blake found himself looking forward to autumn in Serenity Point.
