Page 59 of Single Mom's Daddies
“I almost called Nadia,” I clarify. “To say I was sorry. Even though I hadn’t done anything wrong.”
Saffron’s eyes flicker. “Why? If you weren’t together, why did it matter?”
“I’m loyal. To a fault. And I was ashamed.”
Nikolai finally says, “We all were.”
There’s a long pause.
Saffron steps forward. “You don’t owe me anything about that night. You don’t have to do anything. I didn’t come in here to throw a grenade. I just thought…you should know. And I don’t think I could have kept it to myself while living here.”
“Understood,” Victor rasps. I’m not sure who this is hitting the hardest.
Saffron is still watching us—all three of us—with an expression I can’t quite name. It’s not fear, but it’s something close. She’s not waiting for us to explode. She’s waiting to see if westayquiet. If we retreat into ourselves and never say another word about this again.
I can feel Victor’s stare boring a hole into the fireplace. Nikolai’s pacing now, tight, sharp loops behind the couch like his body can’t sit still while his brain unravels.
“She’s our daughter,” I say again. Not a question. Not even a statement. A prayer.
Saffron’s voice is low. “She is.”
I close my eyes. Try to put a shape around it.
The fire pops. Nobody flinches. I try to imagine Ivy at two. At four. At seven. I can’t. I’ve never met the girl.
We’ve missedeverything. That last word sends an ache through me. I haven’t felt anything like it since Nadia was murdered in front of us.
“Does she know anything about us?” I ask.
Saffron hesitates. “Only that you’re my bosses.”
I swallow hard.
“And now?” Nikolai asks. “What do you plan to tell her?”
“I don’t know.”
She’s honest. I respect that.
Victor sets his drink down, hard. “This is fucked.”
“Yeah,” I say. “It is.” I nod once and turn to her. “Come here.”
Saffron looks at me, confused, but obeying all the same.
I hold out a hand. She takes it. I pull her gently to the center of the room. Not forceful. Not demanding. Just…a tether. She stands there, eyes on mine.
And I say the only thing that feels right. “Thank you.”
She looks stunned. “For what?”
“For telling us. For trusting us. For giving us a daughter we didn’t know we had.”
Victor nods, slowly. “You didn’t have to say a word.”
She blinks. “I did. Of course I did. How could I keep her from you?”
Nikolai doesn’t speak. But his eyes are shining. And I know I’m not the only one who feels it. Everything has changed. And there’s no going back.
