Page 51 of Vengeful Secret

I peek my head in and watch them for a long moment, listening to Sutton’s even voice and the giggles of my little daughter, and then Sutton looks up, her eyes widening slightly.

“Hey, Ciara,” she says gently. “I want to really introduce you to my friend.”

Ciara looks up sleepily, her eyes a little puffy, and she grins. “The prince.”

Sutton chuckles at my confused expression.

“She thinks you look like a prince.”

I can’t help but laugh as I sit on the edge of the bed. “Well, you look like a little princess,mo órlaith.”

She frowns. “What does that mean?”

“Mo órlaith?”

She nods.

“It means ‘my princess.’ That’s you.”

She puts a hand on my knee, and my heart soars. “Will you take me on a hayride?”

“It’s a date.” I try to keep my voice from cracking.

“She loves hayrides,” Sutton explains. “I took her on one for Halloween last year, and she hasn’t shut up about it.”

I make a mental note to look up hayrides in the area and take her immediately.

“What else do you love?”

“Effie,” she says quickly. “Even though Mama says she’s old.”

Sutton snickers. “Sheisold.” She looks at me. “She’s her old doll. Only for bathtime, now.”

“And I love the color green. Grass, crayons, everything!” Ciara sits up slightly.

Sutton puts a hand on her belly to quiet her. “Don’t forget,mo stóirin, it’s bedtime.”

“But Gray is here,” she mumbles, yawning.

I reach out hesitantly to brush her hair back from her face. It’s blonde, like mine used to be as a kid.

“You seem like a sleepy princess.”

“Finish the story, Mama,” she murmurs, and Sutton continues where she left off, describing a huge castle with a big bedroom that the princess can live in.

I listen to the rest of the story, trying to pick up on Ciara’s favorite things so that I can connect with her, and listening to Sutton's slow, even voice.

I have no idea how to be a father, but this is a way to start.

15

SUTTON

I’d plannedon taking Ciara out of school for a couple of days to get settled, but she wakes up at six the next morning, bright-eyed.

“Will the bus pick me up from here?” She’s always had a strange fascination with riding the bus, even though she’s only done it once, for a field trip.

“No,mo stóirin. I’ll have to take you, but you don’t have to go to school today.” I yawn. It had been hard to sleep, especially after Gray came in to listen to my bedtime story.

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