Page 86 of More Than Words
Her eyes lit up, and just like that, the air between us cleared.
“Some more of that fantasy?”she asked hopefully.“Nothing with the gross stuff this time.”
I laughed.The last book I’d given her only had a kiss between the two leads, but obviously even that much romance was too much right now.
I couldn’t disagree with her.
“Strong female lead, epic world building, and absolutely no gross stuff,” I said.“You know I’d never steer you wrong.”
She followed me to the front counter, where I retrieved the books I’d been saving for her.
“So cool.”She ran her hand over the cover of the first book and then spontaneously wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug.“Thank you, Delaney.”
My heart caught in my throat, and I squeezed her tightly in return.
It didn’t fix everything.
But it was something.
And for the moment, that was going to have to be enough.
Ethan
The lasagna was still bubbling when I pulled it from the oven.The smell of it made my mouth water in anticipation, and just as I hoped it would, it also drew Quinn from her room and into the kitchen.
“Smells good,” she said begrudgingly.
It wasn’t much.But at least she was talking to me now.
The lasagna had taken me all afternoon to put together.But it was Quinn’s favorite, and well worth the effort if it meant my daughter would at least give me the opportunity to explain…and apologize.
I set the pan on the table along with a Caesar salad and a basket of garlic bread.
Quinn raised an eyebrow in question as I sat down across from her.“What’s the occasion?”
“No occasion.”I shrugged.“I thought it would be nice to have a home-cooked meal.”
“Lasagna is my favorite.”
I shrugged again and offered her a wry grin.“Is it?”
“You know it is.”She finally cracked and gave me a small smile in return.“Even if it is an obvious peace offering, I’ll take it.”
I reached forward and grabbed the serving spatula to offer her the corner piece, just the way she liked, before dishing up my own.
A few quiet bites passed between us before I dared to broach the subject I’d been avoiding.“I’m sorry.”
She paused, a forkful of lasagna halfway to her lips.
“For how I handled everything,” I elaborated.“I shouldn’t have treated you like a little kid, Quinn.I know you’re not.It’s just sometimes…” I set my knife and fork down and sat back in my chair.“It’s hard for me to remember that you’re getting really grown-up and you can…”
“Handle the truth,” she finished for me.
“Yeah.”I nodded.“And I never should have snapped at you and shut you down the way I did.I’m sorry.”
Her face softened a little.“You were upset.”
“That’s not an excuse,” I said quickly.
