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“I’m sorry, sweetie. I know how hard it is.”
We continue to talk, sharing our thoughts and bonding over the cards life has dealt us. But Stella is so lucky, even though she might not realize it yet. She’s remarkably well-rounded and has a father who’s more like Superman than he is human.
“Have you talked to your dad about how you feel?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “I love my Daddy, but sometimes I wish I had a mommy, too.” Her voice lowers to a whisper. “I don’t want him to feel bad though. He’s a really good dad. He takes care of me.”
“You’re right. He is a wonderful father. But if you’re feeling sad, you can tell him. He’d want to know.”
Stella is still in my arms, clinging to me, her eyes red and watery when Nolan gets home, poking his head through the office doorway.
“Stella!” Nolan rushes to her side, dropping the bags he was carrying. “What’s wrong, baby girl?”
She only shakes her head.
His brows pull together. “Are you hurt? Did something happen?”
Stella shakes her head again, refusing to meet his gaze.
Nolan’s eyes are absolutely panicked as he looks at me. I give him a subtle nod and a small smile, doing my best to wordlessly convey to him that his daughter is okay. She only stopped crying a few minutes ago, and I’m worried that she’ll break down again if she has to talk about her feelings right now.
“I have an idea,” I say, softly patting Stella on the shoulder to break the tension. “How about we give your daddy a face mask?”
Stella’s eyes light up.
“Oh, no. No, no, no,” Nolan says, instantly backing up. “I’m not a face mask kind of guy.”
“Please, Daddy?” she begs. “It’ll be so, so, so much fun.”
She looks up at him, batting those sweet eyes that are identical to his. I witness the moment that Nolan melts at the sight of Stella’s smile. He caves. “Fine…”
See? The grumpy guy thing is just an act. He’s totally a softie.
“All right, Stella! You’re in charge,” I tell her. “Does he get banana or cucumber?”
“Both!” She yips.
“Then let’s do this.” I hustle her off to the kitchen.
Nolan sits at the counter and Stella slathers on his dual face masks extra thick, giggling the whole time. As she works on his face, I decide that Nolan is in dire need of a manicure, too. So what could be better than ladybugs that match his daughter’s?
I gently take his big, rough hand in mine and get to work on his fingernails. I do my best to ignore the static electricity that sparks at the contact.
It makes my heart smile to see Stella being her silly self again. I can tell Nolan is much more relaxed now, too, seeing the improvement in his little girl’s mood.
Later in the evening, Stella’s off in her room, working on some educational workbooks her dad picked up for her on his way home. Nolan approaches me in the hallway and our eyes lock.
My pulse immediately starts to pound. “How was car shopping?” I ask quietly.
He gives his head a subtle shake. “Didn’t find what I was looking for,” he says simply.
“Too bad,” I whisper. “Maybe next time.”
“Yeah, maybe next time.” When I start to walk away, he reaches out and touches my hand. “Thank you for today,” he says quietly.
I smile, trying to hide the shiver that runs through me at the skin-to-skin contact. “Of course. I’ll watch her anytime you need.”
Hanging out with her was so much fun. Nolan and Stella squeeze so much into their weeks. So it felt really nice to give him some time off of daddy duty for once.
