Page 30 of Skylar

“You’re like a dad to her.”

Aiden shrugged. “I suppose. Her father wasn’t in her life, but my dad did his best to fill that role. Now, with him gone, I’ve tried to step up.”

Skylar didn’t respond, and when Aiden glanced back at her over his shoulder, he noticed her looking at the entrance to the waiting room. Aiden straightened and saw that Blake had entered the room.

Aiden got to his feet as the man approached them. He rubbed his suddenly damp palms on his pants.

“Thanks for coming,” Blake said as he shook Aiden’s hand. “She’s excited and having a pretty good day.”

Hearing that was a relief, as Aiden had been uncertain about how he’d deal with seeing her in pain.

Looking over at Skylar, who had also stood up, Aiden saw her lift her chin and purse her lips. He had the overwhelming urge to assure her that everything was going to be okay.

Of course, that wasn’t anything he could guarantee, and even if he could, she probably didn’t want to hear it from him.

As they reached the door of what he assumed was Shiloh’s room, Blake disappeared inside. When Skylar hesitated, so did Aiden.

He glanced at her and found her watching him. This was it. He was meeting his daughter for the first time. Not as a baby, like most men would have, but as an eight-year-old.

Stepping closer to Skylar, he gently laid a hand on her back. “We need to go in. She’s waiting.”

He could have stepped in by himself and let Skylar follow when she felt comfortable doing so. However, he felt it was important to do it together.

She gave a nod and moved toward the door, leaving his hand to fall from her back. Aiden took a deep breath, then followed, bracing himself for what was to come. Good or bad.

His gaze swept the room, taking in the large windows, the medical equipment, and the furniture before settling on the little girl laying in the bed. She was quiet, her wide brown eyes moving between Aiden and Skylar.

“Hello again, Aiden.” Charli gave him a smile, then went to where Skylar stood frozen in place and gave her a hug. She didn’t let go and appeared to whisper in Skylar’s ear.

Skylar bent her head to rest her forehead on her taller sister’s shoulder, then nodded.

“Are you my dad?”

Aiden had been momentarily focused on Skylar, but his attention was drawn back to the little girl. She gazed at him with curious brown eyes.

Smiling at her as he took a step closer to the bed, he said, “I’m your birth father.”

He wanted to claim the role of dad, but he knew he didn’t have that right. For the past several years, Blake had loved and raised Aiden’s daughter as his own. The other man owned that role one hundred percent.

“So I have two dads?” she asked. “And two moms?”

Aiden glanced past Shiloh to where Blake and Charli stood. “I guess you do.”

“Come sit down,” Charli said, gesturing to the chairs that were clustered close to the bed.

Charli’s chair was closest to Shiloh, while Aiden and Skylar sat beside each other.

Reaching out, Charli ran her hand over Shiloh’s hair. “Do you remember what we talked about yesterday?”

Shiloh glanced at Aiden and Skylar, then nodded. “You said that Auntie Sky had me in her tummy, like you had the boys, but then she gave me to you to take care of because she couldn’t.”

“That’s right,” Charli said. “Sometimes a mommy and a daddy can’t take care of a baby, so they give that baby to someone that can take care of it. Auntie Sky loved you enough to want the very best for you, even if she couldn’t give that to you herself.”

“You loved me?” Shiloh asked, directing her question to Skylar.

“Yes. Very much.” A tremulous smile crossed her face. “I still do.”

“So you didn’t give me away because you didn’t like me?”

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