Page 20

At breakfast the next morning, I was still wrapping my head around the fact that I had a kid. It felt surreal, like something out of a dream.

Which was why I felt totally unprepared when Claire wandered into the kitchen, her hair still a rat’s nest from sleep. A couple of locks jutting out at weird angles were pretty adorable on a ten-year-old, though.

“Morning,” she said around a yawn.

“Hey,” I said, trying to keep my voice even. The more I looked at her, the more I couldn’t believe I hadn’t noticed it sooner. We had the same nose, and the same eye shape. “Sleep all right?”

She nodded. Her eyes darted between Audrey and me as she blinked away the grogginess. A moment later, the exhaustion seemed to vanish, replaced by alertness, as if she sensed some sort of change. Her lips turned into the faintest frown.

“What happened?” she asked.

Shrewd kid. I’d be arrogant and say she probably got it from me, but I knew it was probably from Audrey. That, and I was too focused on how oddly nervous I was. It felt like I was meeting her for the first time.

I glanced at Audrey, silently communicating that it was her choice. I wanted Claire to know as quickly as possible, but I also knew that Audrey was the one who had raised her. She would know what was best for Claire.

Audrey looked at me, then at her daughter. That same nervous tension from the night before crackled around her as she bit the inside of her lip.

“Claire, sweetie, there’s something I—we—need to tell you.”

Claire frowned. She leaned against the wall, putting one foot on top of the other the way I used to as a kid. She glanced from her mother to me, her brow knitting the same way Audrey’s did when she was suspicious of something.

“What?” she finally asked.

“You know the little bit I’ve told you about your father?” she asked.

“You told me he went off to the military and was fighting monsters?” she asked. “It’s okay if it’s not true. I always kind of thought you were making it up to make me feel better.”

Honestly, I was surprised Audrey had painted me in that nice a light. I knew it was likely for Claire’s sake, but it was still better than I’d probably deserved.

Audrey bit her lip. “It’s closer to the truth than you think,” she said.

Claire’s brow furrowed as she frowned, her eyes narrowing. Now that I saw it, it was the exact same expression I’d given countless times. She waited in silence for her mother to finish, all her attention locked on Audrey, who took a deep breath.

“Sweetie… Jackson’s your father. Your biological one.”

Claire blinked in surprise. She turned to look at me, a wariness in her expression as she looked me up and down. I could tell she was trying to note the similarities between us, just as I had.

“Really?” she asked.

Audrey nodded. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I just wasn’t sure how.”

She turned to me. “Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked. I couldn’t miss the hint of hurt in her voice. A pang of guilt jabbed through me.

“He didn’t know,” Audrey said. “He found out last night.”

“Oh.” She stared at me again, her expression unreadable. “So what now?”

“You don’t have to call me Dad or anything like that,” I assured her. “But I do want to get to know you better as your father. You’re a great kid, and fun to be around. I just want to spend time together.”

“Okay,” she said, though her voice was a little flat. It was clear she was still processing it.

“Is that all right?” I finally asked.

Claire didn’t respond at first. “I mean, I guess,” she finally muttered. She glanced at Audrey. “Can I go out for a bit?”

Audrey nodded. Claire gave me one last speculative look. Not distrusting, more curious. But she hurried out of the room. The front door opened and closed.

“That didn’t go as well as I had hoped,” I muttered.

“I think she just needs time to get used to it,” Audrey said. “If she’d been really mad, she would have yelled and screamed.” She gave an amused smirk. “She did inherit that old fire I used to have. This, I think, is more her getting over the initial shock. I wouldn’t worry too much about it.”

I nodded, hoping that she was right. “I’ve got to go do some work in the home office.”

I worked for about an hour, trying to go over some memos Rose had sent me but constantly thinking about Claire and hoping Audrey was right about her reaction. I could only wait and see.

Eventually, I heard the door open and close—probably Claire coming back inside. I expected her to go back upstairs and waited for the echo of footsteps climbing upward. Instead, the footsteps grew louder, coming closer to me. When they stopped, I knew they were right in the doorway of the office. Taking a deep breath, I swiveled around to see Claire staring at me.

A long pause followed.

“So, you’re really my dad?” she asked.

I nodded. She looked me up and down. “I guess our hair is the same,” she said.

“You also have my mom’s ears,” I said. “You’re lucky you didn’t get my father’s. They stuck out like this.” I held up my hands, cupping my ears to make them seem massive and as if they stuck out.

Claire giggled.

“I know it’s a shock,” I said when she’d stopped giggling. “Nothing has to change between us unless you want it to. Your mother just felt like it was time you knew.”

“Nothing’s going to change?” Claire asked.

“Not unless you want it to,” I repeated.

She nodded. “I like it here. Since you’re my dad, does that mean we can stay?”

“You can stay here for as long as you like,” I promised.

Claire stared at her feet, biting her lip as she shuffled. After a moment, she glanced back up. “Can you teach me some more hunting techniques?”

I let out a snort, both amused and relieved. If I’d had any remaining doubts about whether she was really my daughter, she’d just thrown all of those out the window.

“Yeah,” I said. “Anytime you want.”

“Now?” she asked hopefully.

Unable to hide my relieved and ecstatic grin, I stood and stretched. “I think I can spare some time,” I said. “Let’s get going.”