Chapter 7 - The Amber Eyes
The state-run family care facility on the quiet north side of the city was warm, brightly lit, and smelled faintly of disinfectant and fresh cookies.
When the director of the facility unlocked the playroom door, they found little Lily sitting quietly in the corner on a blue foam mat, clutching a worn stuffed rabbit to her chest, staring silently at the door with wide, amber eyes that mirrored Nathan’s own.
The moment she saw Grace and Nathan standing in the doorway hand in hand, the little girl’s breath hitched.
“Mommy…?” Lily whispered, scrambling up from the mat.
Grace broke away from Nathan and dropped heavily to her knees on the playroom floor, holding out her arms with a choked sob.
“Lily! My baby!”
Lily burst into tears of sheer relief, sprinting across the floor and launching herself directly into her mother’s arms, burying her face into Grace’s neck and sobbing as if she would never let go. Grace held her tight, kissing the top of her head over and over again, rocking her back and forth on the colorful carpet.
Nathan walked over slowly, kneeling down beside them on the foam mat.
Lily peeked out from her mother’s shoulder, her tear-streaked face turning toward the tall man who had appeared in their lives like a thunderstorm. She looked at him with a child’s instinctive, untainted clarity.
Nathan reached out slowly, his large, powerful hand trembling slightly as he brushed a soft curl away from her forehead.
“Hey, sweetheart,” Nathan said, his voice thick with emotion, tears finally spilling over his eyelashes. “I’m so sorry I was late. But I’m here now. And I’m never, ever going away.”
Lily’s lower lip trembled. She reached out one tiny, grubby hand, her small fingers gently touching Nathan’s rough cheek, tracing the lines of his face just as she had done in the kitchen.
“Daddy…?” she whispered softly, testing the word like a precious secret.
May you like
Nathan covered her tiny hand with his own, pressing a warm, lingering kiss against her knuckles.
“Yeah, baby,” Nathan choked out, pulling both of them into his arms until the three of them formed an unbreakable, unified circle against the cold world outside. “I’m your daddy. And we’re going home.”
