Page 203 of Gift from the Wing

“You don’t want me either, just like my father.” She bursts into a fit of tears, attempting to shove away from me as hard as she can, and I’m completely caught off guard.

“Whoa, whoa, hey! What’s that about? What are you talking about?” I ask, shushing her softly and moving the hair from out of her eyes.

“You’ve never called me your daughter or feely maya. She told you to and you never have.” She sobs.

My eyes widen at the true hurt ripping through her right now. It’s so strong, my soul is screaming at me to make it better this second. I didn’t think she’d pick up on that so keenly. I really thought she’d be more focused on her mom.

“Hey, look at me, please.”

She shakes her head forcefully, refusing to budge, but I try again.

“Please.”

Sniffling and wiping a snotty nose across my shirt, she brushes the strands of hair from her face that I missed and looks at me with a trembling lip as I look down at the boogers on my shirt, smirking.

“You are my daughter, Willow, in all ways but blood. I haven’t ever called you filia mea because I wanted you to know what it meant before I did. Once you give someone a title such as that, there’s no taking it back. I wanted you to trust me, to realize how much you truly mean to me, how much I love you, and how proud I am of you.

“I wanted to earn those things in your eyes, and I wanted you to have the awareness,” I say softly, tapping her temple, “to truly understand what all that means.Just because we share a bond doesn’t mean I’m entitled to your heart or your love. No one is. You choose when, how, and where to give that piece of yourself to someone else.”

“And I don’t have to if I don’t want to?” Her small little voice makes my throat close.

I’m the adult here and I’d never make her feel bad for her feelings, but goodness if she were to tell me right now she doesn’t love me, I’d go back to the palace and cry myself to sleep. This child has my whole heart.

“No, you don’t.”

“I don’t love my father. My other one,” she whispers so quietly it’s as if she’s afraid she might be overheard, but the word other plays in my head repeatedly.

“He isn’t the realm’s greatest dad. He does things that fathers aren’t supposed to do and I’m so sorry for that,” I say carefully. I’m always careful to watch what I say about him. The last thing I want to do is say what I really feel, and she go back and repeat it.

“I think you’re the realm’s greatest dad.”

Dad…she just said dad.

Stay calm.

“I think you’re the realm’s greatest daughter.”

Her sad frown morphs into the largest and brightest smile I’ve ever seen. It’s like the sun has made a home within her and now it’s trying to burst free.

Shit.

That’s exactly what’s happening.

She’s glowing.

That’s not supposed to be happening yet.

The coloring, just as fast as it started, begins to fade and I exhale slowly not to alert her to anything. I guess the range of emotions set something off.

Fuck, she’s going to be a force of nature.

Poor Vito boys.

“Is it okay if I still call you CC?” Her question catches me off guard, and I give her a funny look that she giggles at.

“What else would you call me?” I ask, laughing as I tickle her when she pulls my arm hair for no reason at all other than to do something with her hands.

“Now that you’ve called me your daughter, that makes you my father. But I don’t like the way father sounds in my brain. You’re just my CC.”

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