Page 32 of His Sunshine Baby (The Silver City #2)

“Daddy! Daddy, look!”

She runs to me, showing off her new drawing. This time, she used her new Disney stamps all over it, and a lot of blue glitter. I’m starting to regret buying her so much glitter. I feel like my black leather couch and white rug won’t stay neutral for long.

“It’s pretty, baby star. My daughter is an artist! Do you want to sell your drawings when you’re a big girl? Or you can be an architect, and draw buildings and houses?”

“No, I want to bake cakes! I want to make cupcakes with lots of sparkles. I’ll have one shop for pink cakes, one for blue cakes, and one with… um… orange cakes!”

“Woah, orange cupcakes? Alright, my daughter will be a patissière, then.”

She nods, all proud of herself, and climbs on my lap, trying to peek at what I’m doing.

“Daddy, are you busy?” she asks, frowning at the numbers on my screen.

“Just catching up on some work. I’ll finish later when you’re in bed, okay? Are you hungry?”

“Um. No, I’m okay!”

I smile. We had crepes again for breakfast, and I think my daughter is slowly getting addicted to my cuisine. We discuss her drawing a bit longer, and I close my laptop. Isaac’s emails can wait, I guess. To my surprise, someone knocks on the door, and Estelle runs toward it, curious.

It’s her mom, who was waiting there for me to open the door.

“You can just come in next time, Elena. The passcode hasn’t changed. Are you okay?”

She doesn’t look okay. Her eyes are red, and I realize she was probably crying. I know she went to bury her mentor with Daniel and his brother this morning. She warned me last night, after she left to spend the evening with Nora, and I didn’t see her since; I only know she came back here to sleep in one of my guest rooms, but she left early for the funeral this morning… I can’t imagine how tough it must have been for her.

She nods, ignoring me to look for Estelle with her eyes. To my surprise, she gets on her knees, taking her hand gently and talking to her very seriously while I close the door behind them.

“Baby star, Mommy needs to tell you something.”

“Are you okay, Mommy? You look sad,” says Estelle, worried.

“Yes, baby, I’m very sad. Because Reagan left.”

Estelle looks a bit confused for a second, glancing at me before looking at her mom again.

“She left? Why? Where did she go?”

“She went to be with the Moon Goddess, Estelle. Grandma Reagan won’t be coming back, baby.”

I don’t know how much a four-year-old understands about death, but Estelle starts tearing up, biting her lip. She looks at me again, as if she was expecting me to say something, but when her mother and I both stay silent, she slowly starts crying.

“… She won’t come back?”

“No, baby star. But she is with the Moon Goddess, and with your puppy heart, okay? If you want to cry, you can cry, baby.”

“Okay...”

Estelle cries silently before her mom hugs her. Elena’s grief is obvious too. I barely knew Reagan, but it breaks my heart to see the two of them like this. I step away, I don’t know what to do. I know how tense things are right now, but the worst thing is, I’m just happy they are both here.

After a few minutes, Elena comes back, followed by Estelle.

“Can I have a coffee?” she asks, to my surprise.

“Of course. Baby, do you want a hot drink too?”

My daughter nods, wiping her tears clumsily.

“Can I get a hot chocolate, Daddy?”

“Sure, baby.”

I start preparing it while Estelle proudly goes to show her latest drawings and new drawing tools to her mom. Thank Moon Goddess Estelle and I went to buy some groceries this morning, as it appears taking care of a child requires a bit more things than I thought, including but not limited to hot chocolate powder, chocolate sprinkles, and hazelnut paste. Once the coffee and hot chocolate are ready for the two women in my life, I proudly hand them their drinks.

“Here you go, young lady!”

“Thanks, Daddy!”

“Estelle, baby, why don’t you make another drawing to show your auntie Nora later?”

“Okay! Wait here, Mommy, I’ll do one with the princess stamp!”

She runs off to grab her pencils, and I prepare another coffee for myself. However, while I’m pouring, I realize Elena’s eyes are on me.

“Nathaniel…”

“Yes?”

She puts her cup down, looking serious all of a sudden. Her amber eyes are a bit hesitant and shy, and she puts a strand of her hair behind her ear, her gesture when she's embarrassed.

“I… thought a bit about the situation. You’re right on some things. I think Estelle should live with you, with her dad. She hasn’t known you since the day she was born, and I want her to be able to.”

I almost drop my cup, completely taken by surprise. Really? I did hope Elena would give it some consideration, but to think she would change her mind so fast. Did Nora or Damian tell her something? I haven’t heard from them since Elena slept at their place last night.

She continues, looking down at her coffee, not showing too much of her emotions.

“I never wanted for her to live away from you, to begin with. It was just… too hard for me to come back.”

“I know I’m partially to blame for that, and–”

“Shut up, Nate, let me talk first. I was in the wrong too. No matter how much grief I had against you and my pack, it was my own selfishness that kept Estelle from meeting you two years earlier. I should have come back when Nora woke up. I’m… sorry I didn’t.”

I’m speechless. I expected many things from Elena, but not an apology. I don’t know how to react. I don’t feel like I deserve it, to begin with. I was the one that acted like a jerk and didn’t trust her. Why would she be the sorry one?

“I was given a lot to think about, after talking with Nora, and I realized it wouldn’t be fair that you’re the only one to apologize when we’re both in the wrong. I’m not saying I’m forgiving you, remember that. I’m just saying I don’t want us to lose any more time to fighting and bickering.”

Wow. I’m speechless. I never thought she would come so far so fast. I know I’m still far from forgiveness, but I’m glad she’s willing to give me a chance, even if it’s for Estelle’s sake. I can live with that.

“You can talk now,” she says with a pout.

But I can’t talk; I’m just smiling. Elena growls.

“Say something!”

“I love you.”

She immediately blushes and looks away.

“Anything but that.”

I chuckle. Moon Goddess, she’s almost as cute as our baby. I lean closer, taking a sip from my cup of coffee. Elena sits back, crossing her arms and looking away, but I can tell she’s still blushing a bit, embarrassed. I love this woman.

“Then, will you agree to live here?” I ask.

“Yes. Temporarily.”

“That’s fine by me. And the rooms next to Estelle’s and across from mine are fully furnished and available. You can move your stuff in any time you want.”

“Nathaniel, I don’t have any stuff. I left in a hurry, remember? I only have this outfit, and a couple of T-shirts Nora lent me.”

I doubt they are the right size. Nora and Elena may be related, but they don’t have much in common. Elena’s body is curvier than her cousin’s, and she’s taller.

“I can lend you a couple of shirts, but you should order something.”

“It will take days before it gets here!”

I smile and take my phone out. Giving a quick call to my building’s concierge, I make sure enough outfits for an adult woman will be delivered today for Elena’s size and body build.

“Yes, Mr. Black, it will be delivered today before 6:00 p.m. Do you have any preference for brand or color?”

“I’ll leave that to you, Harry.”

I hang up before Elena’s shocked eyes.

“Your concierge does your shopping?” she asks in disbelief.

“Rich people privilege. He gets some nice tips for such services.”

“I don’t know if I should be surprised or annoyed.”

“It’s okay. You can thank Harry later.”

Elena rolls her eyes and gets up, going to check the bedrooms. I follow, a few steps behind. She stands speechless in front of Estelle’s room, one of the walls half painted with blue and purple. It’s a bit of a mess.

“What the heck happened here?” she asks, frowning.

“We started painting yesterday. It was more fun than I expected.”

“Mommy!”

Estelle, who heard us, runs to her mom’s leg and shows us her room, excited.

“Did you see, Mommy? It’s the same color as Elsa’s castle! And when it’s dry, we can put some stickers, too!”

“Elsa’s castle? Baby, are you going to redecorate all of daddy’s apartment with a Disney theme?”

“I think we’ll try to contain it to her bedroom for now,” I whisper.

“Welcome to the world of a four-year-old,” she whistles, amused.

I guess she had to go along with it long before me.

Elena turns around to check the other rooms, but as expected, she picks one of the ones I mentioned, leaving her backpack in it. Then, she turns to Estelle.

“What are you going to do with Daddy today, baby star?”

“We will finish painting my room! And then, we can build the princess castle Daddy brought!”

“Daddy opened his wallet, huh?” says Elena, sending me an annoyed look.

“ Stop buying her everything, I don’t want my daughter to be too spoiled. ”

“ I’m just making up for missing the last four years. And she isn’t spoiled. She is well-behaved and reasonable. Like her mom. ”

“ Mhmm… ”

“Come on, baby, let’s go change before Mommy gets really mad at me,” I say to Estelle, taking her to the bathroom.

We pick three of my T-shirts and spend most of the afternoon ruining them with paint. It was the most fun I had in years, thanks to them. We had to be careful because Elena’s arm isn’t fully healed, and though she won’t admit it, I can tell it’s painful for her.

She’s relieved when we finish painting the wall, and heads to the living room to watch another Disney movie, at Estelle’s demand. Elena actually picks her favorite, one with Greek gods and a lot of catchy songs for our daughter to learn. Thank Moon Goddess I subscribed to that new channel.

“Daddy…”

I hear a little whisper coming from the other side of the counter. I finish putting our plates in the dishwasher and turn to her.

“What is it, baby? You want more veggies?”

She frowns. I did notice she wasn’t fond of the carrots in the casserole.

“No. Daddy, Mommy fell asleep.”

“Oh, okay, I’m coming, baby. The movie is over?”

She nods, and walks back to the living room, with me following her. Indeed, Elena is profoundly sleeping on the couch, while the movie’s closing credits are playing on the TV screen. I gesture for Estelle not to make any noise, and she smiles and covers her little mouth.

I pull a blanket on Elena and take Estelle to bed. Because of the fresh paint in her room, she’ll have to sleep with her mom tonight, but I don’t think it bothers either of them.

“… Daddy?”

“Yes, baby?”

“Mommy will live here too now?”

I chuckle. She sure is smart for her age, isn’t she?

“Yes, baby, I think so. I hope so, baby star. But it’s Mommy’s choice, okay? So now, do you want me to read your book? Where did we stop last night?”

After reading a few pages of another Disney princess story, Estelle is deep asleep, and I silently leave the room. I clean the living room a bit, turning the TV off and putting Estelle’s toys aside.

Suddenly, I hear a cry. On the couch next to me, Elena is frowning in her sleep, looking in pain. Shit, where are her meds? Can she take more? I kneel at her side, unsure what to do, panicked. It’s surely her shoulder wound, she keeps moving in her sleep, looking for a better position. Is it too late to call Tonia for advice?

“You got some alcohol?”

Damn it, she’s awake.

“It’s been disinfected already.”

“Not for that, idiot.”

She sits up painfully, with my help, but she’s sweating and frowning a lot.

“Elena, no, not with your meds. I don’t have any anyway.”

“Nate, it’s only been 5 years,” she says with a groan. “I remember your minibar.”

I shake my head.

“It’s long gone. It’s been destroyed, emptied, and thrown out a while ago. You can ask Damian, he’s the one who wreaked havoc on it.”

For a few seconds, she stays silent, and sighs.

“Fuck, why did you have to go sober…”

“Come on, I’ll help you to the bed. Or do you want me to call Tonia? We can ask her if you can take anything else.”

“Help me to bed, then. Please,” she sighs.

Gently, I take her to the bed, next to Estelle, who’s still asleep. As soon as she’s next to her, Elena smiles despite the pain.

“How did we make such a pretty baby…” she whispers.

“You tell me. You’re the mom.”

She smiles, caressing her blonde hair. I sit on the side of the bed, watching them, unwilling to part. Elena’s face betrays the pain she feels, but she won’t complain. At one point, I realize she’s clenching her teeth, to endure the pain.

“ Elena… ”

“ Shut up. ”

I sigh, and move to sit behind her, putting my arm under her head.

“ … What are you doing? ”

“ Bite me. ”

“ Excuse me? ”

“ Bite me, Elena. You’ll hurt your teeth if you keep going. And you’re too stubborn for me to call you a nurse, so bite me. ”

“ I can bite myself! ”

“ I heal faster, Elena. Stop being so stubborn for once, okay? Even if it’s for one hour, and then I promise I’ll go. ”

“ …Stay. ”

“ What? ”

“ You heard me. Just… stay. Please. ”

I don’t know how to answer. But, to my surprise, she takes my hand and holds on to it, tightly. We stay like this for a long time, until I slowly lay back behind her, with gentle movements. I can tell she’s not sleeping, but she doesn’t move, and rests her head on my arm, breathing slowly.