Page 75 of The Problem with Falling
“Yes,” I agreed, “But we’ll make a new one together. We’ll do everything in our power to make this okay.”
“I’m sorry to interrupt,” a nurse said as she entered the lobby. “But your daughter is asking to see you, Mr. Langford.”
I turned toward the nurse and nodded before kissing Molly on the forehead. “Want to come back with me?” I asked my wife.
“Sorry, Mr. Langford, but Christina is only requesting you now,” the nurse commented.
“Go,” Molly stated, “She needs her papa.”
I took a deep breath and released it slowly. Walking into the doctor’s office, I saw Dr. Erickson sitting across from Christina at his desk. He stood and gave me a tight smile. “I can give you two some privacy.”
Christina sat in her chair with her back toward me. Her shoulders were rounded forward, and I could feel her defeat even from a distance. I stayed frozen in place for a few moments.
Dr. Erickson walked past me and placed a hand against my shoulder. “I’m sorry, Harry,” he muttered before leaving the room and closing the door behind him.
I took a deep breath before taking a few steps in Christina’s direction. I sat in the chair beside her and then placed my hand against hers. “It’s okay, baby,” I whispered.
She turned to me with tears in her eyes. “Daddy,” she cried out. She shook her head. “I’m so sorry, Daddy. I’m so, so sorry,” she said as she burst into hysterics.
I instantly wrapped my arms around her and held her close.
“What am I going to do?” she whimpered into my shirt. “What am I going to do?” she echoed repeatedly. “What am I going to do?”
“We’ll be okay. We’ll make this work. We’re in this together. I love you,” I told her as my voice cracked and I began to cry with my daughter. As I held her in my arms, it was as if she was my tiny baby again. She was my gift, my angel, my greatest blessing, and I could not protect her from the cruelest harm. I failed. I failed myself. I failed our family. I failed her.
My sweet, sweet girl.
She cried into me for what felt like hours. I didn’t for a second consider letting her go.
I love you, I love you, I love you, I thought when words were too hard to produce.
That was when Christina squeezed my hand as if she could hear me, then I’d kissed her forehead and she said she loved me, too.
Still…she was scared.
I wondered how long the trauma would last until she began to heal again.
CHAPTER 24
Willow
Present Day
Iwould’ve liked to say that Theo and I took the friendship make-out sessions slowly, but that was the opposite of what we did. We dove in and became masters at making out. We’d find random reasons to kiss, too.
Oh, you unloaded the dishwasher? Way to go, friend—kiss!
Oh, you switched the toilet paper roll? Woohoo—kiss-kiss!
Oh, you showered today? Yay!—kiss-kiss in the shower!
Yeah, we were in the shower together. Naked. But not because we were into each other. We were friends. Simply friends who showered together because we cared about saving water and the planet. Friendship showers weredefinitelya thing. There was no sex involved, though! Just heavy petting, if you asked me. We clearly both wanted to make sure we were as clean as possible. Just two friends looking out for one another.
The verdict was still out when it came to friendship cuddling. If anything, Theo and I were playing a dangerous game as he sat on the couch, and I sat between his spread legs on the floor, where he massaged my shoulders for me. He dug his fingers deep into my exposed shoulders, seeing how I was wearing a white tube top. My eyes were pinned to the television, watching Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth fall in love for the umpteenth time. I’d seen the 2005 version ofPride and Prejudicea million times over, and I still had full-on body chills when Mr. Darcy clenched his hand. And the way he said words throughout the movie made my body fill with chills:
I love you.
Most ardently.
