Page 120 of Manhattan Kiss

“You’re right, we need a list.”

“And what about downstairs?” she asks. “We could paint down there too.”

“Oh, you want to paint everything now?”

“Mommy’s house is all fresh and new. I want our house to be like that too.”

I don’t know why I’ve been so concerned about all the change Willow is going through at the moment. She seems to be taking it all in her stride and inviting in more.

I’ve been a fool.

Gabby was right all along. Aurora too. I’ve been trying to keep Willow locked in an ivory tower to keep her safe and happy, when she’s already safe and happy.

If anyone was a danger to Willow’s happiness, it was me. Maybe I wasn’t trying to protect Willow at all, but my self—my younger self who failed to keep his big sister safe. Survivor guilt? Was that what’s been driving me all along?

“And can I get a new dressing table?” she asks.

“A new one?”

“One with a bigger mirror so you can do my hair.”

“I don’t know about that,” I say. “The green room has a nice dressing table already. We can’t have new things all the time.”

“Do you think you can do a French braid in that mirror?” she asks.

Truth is, I don’t think I could do a French braid in a house of mirrors. It’s skill, not sight, that holds me back.

“I’m not sure,” I confess.

“Maybe Aurora needs to give you another lesson.”

More mentions of Aurora.

“Can we call her?” she asks.

My heart starts to race at the thought of speaking to Aurora. Could that even be a possibility?

I shake my head. “She’s at work. We can’t disturb her.”

“Let’s send her a voice note,” she says.

“Voice note?” I ask. “Mommy lets you send voice notes?”

“Just sometimes. To Grandma. So, can we send one to Aurora?”

“You talk about Aurora a lot,” I say.

“I like her. I want her to see my new room. Can she come over for a playdate?” she asks.

“Maybe,” I say.

“When?” she asks.

“You know, you don’t need to worry about Daddy being lonely,” I say. I’m about to tell her that I can never be lonely if I’ve got her, but I stop myself. First of all, I don’t have her for half of the week, and secondly, I don’t want her to feel any of the pressure that Gabby described. My daughter isn’t responsible for me. It’s the other way around.

“But I still want her to come over for a playdate. We can watch a movie. She can do my hair.”

“You have it all planned out.”