Page 39 of Beauty and the Daddy

I nearly trip over my own feet. "He... said that?"

She nods, her dark ponytail bouncing. "He said you're going to get married. That means you'll be my mommy, right?"

Jesus Christ. I am not prepared for this conversation.

"You're right," I admit.

"Do you like him?"

"Who?"

"My daddy, of course."

My heart nearly gives way. Do I like him? She's a kid… the answer should be a hard yes.

But he's the man who essentially bought me to pay off my father's debt.

The same man who makes my heart race and knees weak.

"He's... interesting," I say carefully.

Sofia giggles. "No he's not… He's boring."

We walk in silence for a moment, following a winding path. Bruno stops to sniff at every bush.

"I didn't have a mommy for a long time," Sofia says suddenly. "She went to heaven when I was a baby."

My heart twists. "I'm sorry to hear that."

She shrugs, putting on a brave face. "It's okay. I don't remember her. But sometimes Daddy gets sad when he looks at her pictures."

My throat tightens. This little girl lost her mother, and her father is a man who breaks bones before breakfast.

What kind of life is that? What kind of life am I signing up for?

But then Sofia takes my hand, her fingers tiny and trusting in mine, and I think maybe…maybe, I could be something good in their world of sharp edges.

"Do you want to see something cool?" Sofia tugs me toward a stone path that branches off to the right.

She leads me to a small gazebo overlooking a koi pond. "This is my thinking spot. When I'm sad or mad, I come here and watch the fish."

"It's beautiful," I say.

"You can come here too, if you want," she offers, her voice serious. "When you need to think."

Her generosity amazes me. This little girl, who's known me for all of thirty minutes, is already sharing her special place.

"Thank you," I tell her. "That's very kind of you."

She beams up at me, and something in my chest shifts—a protective instinct I didn't know I had rising to the surface.

What would it be like to be a part of this little girl's life? To be the stepmother she clearly wants?

The thought sends a wave of panic through me. I'm not cut out for this.

I can barely take care of my own disaster of a life, let alone help raise someone else's kid.

But looking at Sofia's bright eyes and trusting smile, I can't help but feel a pull toward her.