Page 23 of Nolan

"No." I shake my head firmly. "Not legally. But she can make things difficult for a while."

"I'm sorry." Her hand touches my arm briefly, a gesture of comfort, nothing more, but it sends warmth through me nonetheless. "What can I do to help?"

The question, so simple, so sincere, breaks something in me. Before I can overthink it, I pull her into a hug, my arms wrapping around her shoulders.

"You're already helping," I murmur against her hair. "More than you know."

For a moment, she stiffens in surprise. Then she relaxes, her hands coming to rest lightly on my back. We stand there, connected, until Ashlynn's voice breaks the spell.

"Daddy. Annabelle. Come see."

We separate slowly, reluctantly. Annabelle's cheeks are flushed, her eyes bright when they meet mine.

"We should..." She gestures toward Ashlynn.

"Yeah." I nod, not trusting myself to say more.

But as we walk back to where my daughter waits, butterfly creations spread around her like colorful offerings, I feel something shift between us. Something that's been building since that kiss, no, since long before that.

This thing with Lisa isn't over. I know that. But standing here in the sunlight, watching Annabelle kneel beside my daughter, her hands gentle as she helps Ashlynn add one more button to her masterpiece, I'm struck by a certainty I've been fighting for too long:

Some things are worth the risk.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Annabelle

"Idon't know what to do, Daisy. He's not taking this well. He keeps calling every hour to see if Lisa has showed up again. How am I going to compete with a woman who refuses to go away?" I ask as I lift up the brownie, and take a huge chunk out of it. Get Baked is where we've decided to meet this afternoon.

The chocolate melts on my tongue, a momentary distraction from the chaos that's been my life since the kiss, the make out session, and now Lisa showing up. My days used to be fucking boring, I'd like to go back there - now.

Daisy leans forward, her elbows on the table, her blue eyes serious beneath her curly bangs. "You're not competing with her, Anna. That's your first mistake."

"How can you say that? She's Ashlynn's mother. She's gorgeous, and she's making it very clear she wants her family back."

Daisy snorts, breaking off a piece of her own chocolate-cherry brownie. "Lisa walked out on them, right? Left a baby with Nolan and disappeared to 'find herself' or whatever excuse she gave. She doesn't get to waltz back in when it's convenient."

I sigh, tracing patterns in the condensation on my water glass. "It's not that simple. I see the way he looks when her name comes up. There's still something there."

"Yeah, anger and resentment, probably." Daisy wipes a crumb from her lip. "Look, you're not just Ashlynn's nanny anymore. You're part of their lives in a way Lisa chose not to be. Nolan kissedyou, remember?"

The memory flashes through me again, his lips soft against mine, the brief moment of connection before everything fell apart. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it, even as we've both pretended it never happened.

"And then immediately regretted it," I remind her, although she doesn't know about the couch session when I'd come home from the bar.

"Men are idiots," Daisy says with authority, waving her fork in the air. "Especially when they've been hurt. He's probably scared out of his mind. Years of building walls, and then you come along and make him feel something again."

I pick at my brownie, no longer hungry. "What do I do?"

"Stop making yourself small for a woman who doesn't deserve the space she's taking up in your head." Daisy reaches across the table and squeezes my hand. "Be direct with him. Tell him how you feel. And as for Lisa, don't let her intimidate you. You've been there for Ashlynn when she wasn't. That matters."

"And if he doesn't feel the same way?"

"Then at least you'll know. But I've seen the way he looks at you when he thinks no one's watching." Daisy smiles knowingly. "That man is not indifferent."

I check my watch and realize I need to pick up Ashlynn from her dance class. Daisy and I part with a quick hug, her words echoing in my mind as I drive across town.

When I pull into the parking lot of Miss Laurie's Dance Academy, I spot Lisa immediately. She's standing by theentrance, her blonde hair perfectly styled, designer sunglasses perched on her nose despite the cloudy day. My stomach drops, but Daisy's advice steels my spine as I exit the car.

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