Page 51

Serene tugs on my hand, but I tell her in a firm voice, “One minute, Sweetie, I need to talk to your father.” Serene’s gaze widens.
I’m sure she’s about to protest but instead, she stops and waits.
“I’m a virtual stranger.” I shift my gaze in his direction. “You should not allow another adult help bathe your child unless they’re formally hired and had a background check done.”
His tilts his head. “I know you and your family. I trust you. And consider yourself hired… If you’ll take the job, that is.”
When I hesitate, Serene pulls on my dress. “Bath time?” she asks in an impatient voice.
She looks so cherubic that I can’t stop myself from leaning down and hauling her up in my arms.
“Okay.” I smile at Serene. “Yes, I’ll take the job.”
I sense the tension roll off his shoulders. When I sneak a peek at him, there’s a relieved smile on his lips. “You have no idea how much that means to me.” He runs his hands through his hair. The way the motion strains the cuffs of his shirt makes my heart wobble. Damn. I need to shield myself against this man’s appeal. Professional. I need to be professional. I’m here to do a job. And I owe it to Serene to do it well. I owe it to her to not complicate things by lusting after her father.
“I’ll message you my passport details, et cetera, so you can run a background check.”
“That’s not necessary—” he begins but I shake my head.
“It’s best we do things by the book, don’t you think?”
He tilts his head. Another inscrutable look crosses his eyes. “Of course.” He nods. “Once you’ve bathed and put her to bed, join me in the study, and we’ll work out the payment terms, et cetera.”
Before I can ask him if he wants to put her to bed himself, he spins around and heads off. I’m guessing he’s in a hurry to get back to his work.
I fill the bathtub and help Serene bathe. She plays with her toys in the tub and obediently comes out when I tell her it’s time. I have a feeling she’s on her best behavior because she knows it’s my first day. She probably wants to impress me. Children are more astute than one realizes. They have a sense for what’s happening around them and are very good at picking up signals from adults.
When I’ve dried and dressed her and tucked her under the covers, I pick up the book she wants me to read from. It’sThe Cat in the Hatby Dr. Seuss. I begin to read from it, and she slides down in the bed. Every time I look at Serene, her eyelids are drooping, but she keeps propping them open. She’s fighting sleep, and I can’t stop a small smile from curving my lips.
When she sits up in bed, I put the book down. "Do you want your papa to come tuck you in?"
Even as she begins to nod, a voice says from the doorway, "I’m here." He walks over to her. "You okay, honey?" he asks softly.
To see this tough man acting so tenderly with his daughter brings a lump to my throat. And when Serene nods, that melting sensation spreads to my chest. To my surprise, I find tears pricking the backs of my eyes. There’s no reason to feel this moved, this emotional, is there? And yet, I can’t stop myself from feeling incredibly moved as I watch this man tuck his daughter into bed.
"Tell me a story." She looks at him with her big, brown eyes which, although a different color, are shaped like his. His hair is jet black, and I notice the flecks of gray at his temple, which I don’t remember him having a year ago. Nothing ages you like becoming a parent, responsible for another life. Serene’s hair is chestnut-colored with streaks of copper woven through them. But her features are so similar to his.
He reaches for the book I put down on the nightstand. Lying down next to her, he holds it up so she can also read.
She shakes her head. "No, read me the one about the stars."
He picks up another book from the bedside table. When he holds it up, I see the title,Where the Stars Always Shine.
From the packaging it looks, not like a book which was mass produced, but like one which was printed specifically for her.
He begins to read.
“Once upon a time, under a sky full of stars, a baby girl was born. She had tiny fingers, a sleepy smile, and a quiet little sigh.”
Serene cuddles closer. He continues reading.
“Her mother loved her very much. But love alone wasn’t enough to give her the life she hoped for her baby.
“With a heart full of hope and sorrow, she put her baby into a carrier. She said goodbye with a kiss and carried that goodbye forever.”
I swallow around the ball of emotion in my throat, remembering how we found Serene on his doorstep.
“The baby girl went to a new home. There, her father was waiting, ready to give her all he had.