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I only wished it was something like that. “No,” I answered softly.
“Hmm. I still think a hug would help.”
“Carli,” Jason admonished.
But her little face pursed up in confusion made me smile when, just a minute ago, I wanted to flee. “Maybe I do need that hug.”
She leapt out of Jason’s arms and flew into mine so fast that I barely had time to catch her. I wasn’t exactly sure how to hold her, but she seemed to know what she was doing, wrapping her legs around my waist as she flung her arms around my neck and held on tight.
At first, I wondered how long the hug was going to last. I smiled at Jason reassuringly as he was called up to get the order. But then she squeezed me tighter and whispered, “I get sad a lot, too.”
My chest squeezed at her admission and I closed my eyes, holding on tighter with every second that passed. I had no idea that a child’s hug could make me feel so much better, but as she held me outside the shop, I found her innocence reminding me that sometimes the simplest solution was all that was needed.
When she pulled back, I had tears in my eyes and quickly blinked them back, but she saw.
“Did I do it wrong?”
“No,” I chuckled. “No, you were perfect.”
“Oh. That’s good because Daddy says sometimes I hold him too tight.”
I doubted he really felt that way, and as I looked at him, he was staring at his daughter with the most loving expression I’d ever seen.
“I don’t believe that for a second.”
Jason walked closer, smiling at his little girl. “Here’s your ice cream, baby girl.”
I set her down and took mine from him, knowing I couldn’t hold her and my ice cream at the same time. I wasn’t practiced in the art of balancing children and other objects, sticky or solid.
“Let’s sit down over there,” Jason motioned to a set of benches. There was a playground nearby that Carli could play at when she was done, and I found that as I walked over with him, the anxiety I felt earlier was slowly slipping away.
Jason and Carli quickly dug in, eating before the ice cream could melt, but I stared at the cone, overcome with insane emotion. I hadn’t had ice cream—or any other dessert since before I was taken. And I was so used to it not being a part of my diet that I hadn’t even considered eating it before Carli asked me to go with.
“What’s wrong?” Jason asked quietly.
I huffed out a small laugh, glancing over at him. “It’s so silly. I can’t even remember what it tastes like.”
My breath caught in my chest when I felt his hand clasp mine. He gave me a squeeze of encouragement that I didn’t know I needed. If anyone else saw me freaking out over an ice cream cone, they’d think I was absolutely ridiculous. But with him beside me, all those feelings just vanished. I was just a girl sitting on a bench, trying ice cream for the first time in fourteen years.
24
JASON
I couldn’t help watching her as she stared with wonder at that damn ice cream cone. It pissed me off that something as simple as eating dessert set off an anxiety attack for her. I was fucking mesmerized as I watched her close her eyes and stick out her tongue. I held my breath for the first swipe, captivated by the way she slowly ran her tongue along the chocolate, then sucked the ice cream into her mouth.
Her eyelids fluttered open and she smiled so fucking bright.
“She likes it, Daddy,” Carli whispered.
“Yeah, I think she does,” I grinned.
Izzy’s eyes met mine and a blush stained her cheeks. “What’s that smile for?”
“Just watching you have your first taste.”
Her eyebrow arched delicately as she cocked her head at me. “You know, I think that’s the first time I’ve actually seen you smile.”
“I could say the same thing.”