Page 45 of Whiskey Wednesdays

Gazing at her room, I slowly spun around. It already looked so different from the first time I’d seen it. Instead of a generic guest bedroom, it was becoming a little girl’s haven.

Connor surveyed the room as well, and his arm brushed against my shoulder. I didn’t shiver this time, but my body still reacted to him.

“I think she’s going to love it, eh?”

“She will. It’s spectacular.”

He put his arm around my shoulder and kissed the top of my head. “Thank you.”

I slowly relaxed against him. “You did good.”

“I want her to be happy here, and you and Javier are a big part of that.”

“She is happy here, and you’re the biggest part of that.” I poked him in the chest. “Although I have no idea why.”

Connor smirked. “I have a few other things for her room. I’ll go get them.”

I put a hand on his chest to stop him. “Wait. Can I make a suggestion?”

Looking down at my hand, he reached up and threaded his fingers through mine. “Yeah.”

It took me a minute to remember what I wanted to say. “Let her do it.”

“Do what?”

“Let her decorate the rest of it, so she feels like it’s hers.”

“Do you think she’ll care?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. But it seems like she’s been trying to piece her life back together after moving here with you.”

“What do you mean?”

I slowly stepped back. “She asked Harley to help her find friends, and she asked me to make sure you signed her up for school and got her into a dance class.” I walked over and sat on her bed. “She also picked Javier to be her nanny.”

Connor put his hands on his hips and smiled. “She’s smart, isn’t she? I’ll have to remember that.”

I looked around the room again. “She’s only five, so it’s pretty amazing what she’s orchestrated in her sweet, charming way already.”

“I try to let her make her own choices if it’s possible. Sometimes I want to pull my hair out though.”

He sat next to me, and I patted his thigh. “That probably makes you a good parent. You let her pick out her own clothes too.” Looking at her closet, I remembered the first time I’d seen her when she’d been wearing Christmas leggings and a Halloween shirt.

He groaned and laid back on the bed. “God, I’m a retired hockey player and don’t give a fuck about clothes, but some of her outfits make even my eyes bleed.”

I laughed and patted his hard stomach. “Dad said she wanted to wear her tutu over a pair of pajamas to school on Monday. He had to bribe her with a trip to the Zoo Lights to get her to change.”

He glanced at me and tucked a hand behind his head. “Am I supposed to know what Zoo Lights are?” He patted the bed beside him.

I lay on my side and propped my head on my hand. “Maybe. I’ve never been, but I hear they’re awesome.”

“I feel off-center and inadequate.” He sighed. “I used to be great at what I did. I was a world-class hockey player. Now I don’t know what the hell I’m doing most of the time, and worry I’m going to fail her and somehow screw her up.”

I studied him. “I think being a good parent isn’t so much what you know, it’s more about what you do. Being kind, letting her make decisions when you can, and spending time with her.”

He glanced at me wryly. “That doesn’t make me feel better. I only got to see her a couple of times a month for the first year of her life.”

I patted his stomach. I wanted to run my hand over his hard abs, but I refrained. “Yeah, that would suck.”

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