Page 15 of Moonlight Feels Right
"Can she sleep at your house, too?" Olivia asked.
"No. She has her own place, but she's just upstairs. She's not that far away."
"I want her to stay with me." He could see her lower lip tremble.
Fortunately, Emmalyn appeared, coming to the rescue once more. "Is it time to say goodnight?" she asked.
"I want you to stay with us," Olivia said, grabbing Emmalyn's hand.
He felt like a complete failure when he saw how eager Olivia was to be with Emmalyn and how reluctant she was to be with him, although he couldn't blame her at all.
"Why don't I walk you back to your apartment?" Emmalyn suggested. "I can help you get ready for bed." She turned to him. "If that's okay with you."
"More than okay," he said with relief.
They said goodnight to those still around the table and then made their exit. Once they got into his apartment, Olivia started to cry. "I want my mom," she told Emmalyn.
Emmalyn knelt down and pulled Livvy into her arms, stroking her hair. "She'll be back soon."
"I don't want to stay here."
"You are going to have so much fun tomorrow. And you can't have that fun until you go to sleep."
"What kind of fun?" Olivia asked skeptically.
"You're going to meet new kids and play games at recess. You'll get to read and do art, and it's going to be great. You will love first grade."
"Will my mommy be back tomorrow?"
"I don't know, but I'm sure it will be soon. Why don't you go to the bathroom and brush your teeth? Then you can put on the new pajamas we bought. They're on the bed with all your stuffies."
Olivia hesitated, then did as Emmalyn suggested and went into the bathroom.
"I don't think she's going to sleep tonight," he murmured.
"It's a difficult situation, but she's tired, so hopefully she will sleep. She has some books you can read her."
"Me? You should read to her. She wants you."
"I think you need to do this part on your own, Hunter, so she starts to feel more comfortable with you," Emmalyn said.
"As soon as you leave, she'll cry again. I really hate when girls cry."
"Sometimes, crying is good. It's better than holding emotions inside. Although, I suspect you wouldn't agree with that philosophy."
"I wouldn't. Emotions are better on the inside than the outside."
"Well, you're not a six-year-old girl." Emmalyn paused. "Instead of reading a book to her, why don't you tell her a story about you and her dad?"
He didn't like that idea at all. "That won't make her feel better. It will just remind her that he's gone."
"I think it will make her feel closer to you and remind her that you were her father's good friend."
"Maybe." He paused, giving her a thoughtful look. "I asked you earlier why you understand Olivia so well, and we got interrupted before you could answer."
"That's a longer story than we have time for."
"Is there a short version?"
