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I was getting that impression myself.“I’m sure he wants to,” I insisted as gently as I could before we crossed the street.“But sometimes, being a grown-up can be really tough.Even if you want to have fun, you can’t always do exactly what you want.”

“Not true!Grown-ups do anything!”

Sweet kid.I didn’t want to burst her bubble, so I didn’t.“Sometimes it’s not that easy.Here we are!”Because we needed to change the subject.It wasn’t my place to come up with theories on why Travis was so distant sometimes, though it didn’t take a genius to see it.

He was a very busy, important person.He ran a huge shipping company.I’d done a little research on my phone during my downtime before going to sleep at night.A quick Google search sent me to a Wikipedia page with photos of enormous ships carrying stacks of containers, and according to the article, they shipped all over the world.He had built his business from the ground up, though his father, Harrison Knight, had a pretty big company of his own.

It made me wonder why Travis hadn’t stayed in his family shipping company, but there could be all kinds of reasons for that sort of thing.Maybe he wanted to step out on his own, be his own man.I had to respect that.

There was one thing he had never mentioned.Neither had Sofia, and I wouldn’t bring it up.It was nowhere near my place, for one thing, and there had to be a reason nobody had hinted at it.Where was her mother?Why wasn’t she around?Even divorced couples could split custody, but there was never so much as a hint of a custody arrangement.

I wasn’t proud of scouring the internet for information on his private life, but then it wasn’t like I found anything.No mention in Wikipedia of him having a child, much less of him ever being in a relationship.I could see him being super protective of Sofia’s safety, but why no mention of a partner?Had she died?If so, I could even understand a little bit of Travis’ grumpy, abrupt attitude.Sofia was only four.If her mother had passed away, that meant it couldn’t have been all that long since she’d been gone.

Maybe he hadn’t gotten over it yet.Maybe he didn’t like watching another woman become close to his daughter.Loss was a funny thing.Just when a person thought they had it under control, something could happen out of nowhere that turned everything upside down and put them right back on square one, where the pain was freshest.I knew from experience.

Sofia had a child’s knack for making friends wherever she went.I watched her but was seeing someone else in her place.Someone who had the same ready, dimpled smile she had, was as brave as she was, always ready to introduce himself to new people, and always the first one to suggest an adventure.

I caught myself before I could wander too far down memory lane.I had to be present.Kids could run off and get into trouble in the blink of an eye.

I should know.

* * *

“And then Pennybought tacos at a truck!”The way Sofia described it, she could’ve been talking about a three-star Michelin dining experience.Her happy, bubbly voice echoed through the kitchen as she told her dad all about our adventures today.“And we had a picnic in the park.And a bird came out of nowhere.”

She wouldn’t settle for explaining what happened.She had to reenact it, swooping in with her arms outstretched.“It snatched my chicken, Daddy.Can you believe it?”

Travis offered a weary but patient smile as he removed his cufflinks and slid them into his pockets.“It sounds like you had a big day.”

“And maybe tomorrow, we’ll go to the museum!”She was beside herself, completely overjoyed, and I couldn’t help but smile as I ruffled her springy curls in passing.

Travis patted the top of her head, loosening his silk tie.The green hue made his eyes pop, and I wondered if he knew it did.“I have an idea.Why don’t you go upstairs and wash up before dinner?I thought maybe tonight, we could order pizza.”

Without missing a beat, Sofia looked up at me, eyes round.“This is the best day of my whole life.”I was barely able to stifle my laughter until she was out of the room.

“She is too much,” I whispered when we were alone, giggling and shaking my head.

Travis, meanwhile, folded his muscular arms and cocked his head to the side.The eyes I admired not half a minute ago narrowed threateningly.“I’m thinking you might not have understood a few things when we went over the basic ground rules.”

I felt like he caught me with my pants down.I was totally stunned into place and maybe distracted by his arms a little.“Come again?”I asked in a soft voice.

“Yes, Sofia needs to be out in the world.She can’t be cooped up in the house all the time.But buying lunch at some random taco truck?Promising activities without clearing it with me first?You’re here to take care of her when I can’t,” he reminded me.“But that doesn’t mean you have free rein to gallivant all over Beverly Hills with her.”

It wasn’t often that I felt the twinge of outrage bubbling in my core.I knew my actions came from a good place.I knew Sofia was safe with me.“Hey, look at it this way,” I joked.“She wanted me to take her to Disneyland.I figured the museum was a decent compromise.”

“There you go with that word again.Are you listening to what I’m saying?”he demanded.How could somebody so handsome look so ugly when he scowled the way he did?“I know I can’t vet every activity you decide to do, but I would like to have a say in at least some of it.As for what my daughter eats, I would like a say in that, as well.”

I couldn’t believe what I was looking at.A man whose company had been valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars was throwing a temper tantrum because he couldn’t micromanage every little thing we did during the day.

Reframe it.

It was a habit, almost like a reflex at this point in my life.What was really happening?This wasn’t about the park or the museum or a taco truck.It was about control.He didn’t appreciate feeling like he didn’t have any.I was starting to wonder if the other girls didn’t take Sofia on excursions becausehedidn’t want them to.

“There must be a way we can both get what we want,” I spoke slowly, clearly, careful not to ruffle his feathers more than they already were.If this were a barnyard, he would be the rooster strutting around, making sure everybody could hear his dissatisfaction.A rooster with killer biceps and muscles carved from rock.“What can I do next time to ensure you aren’t upset?Because that’s the last thing I want.”

His eyelids fluttered, and his mouth opened, then snapped shut like he was expecting a fight and couldn’t understand why he didn’t get one.“I’m not sure.I haven’t thought about it yet.”

“We can talk about it now,” I suggested.Because, at the end of the day, what he wanted more than anything was to be heard.That was the same with anyone, no matter how old they were, what they did for a living, or how many people depended on them for a paycheck.“Ideally, would you want me to call to check in with you every time there is a possible change in plans?”