Page 23 of The Cold Ride

“Am I in trouble?” Amelia asked with trepidation, glancing back and forth between us.

Rory put an arm around her shoulders and hugged her. “No, baby, no, not at all. Unless you’re hiding a note from Miss Davies because you misbehaved in school. Then we’d be having a different conversation.”

“I’m not.” Amelia shook her head solemnly. “So then, what’s going on?” And she glanced at me with nerves in her eyes before turning back to her mom.

“Okay, well, you see... um, do you remember how I told you that your dad was overseas fighting for our country and one day he would be back to see you?” Rory asked, her focus completely on our kid.

Amelia nervously glanced between us again, ramping my nerves to epic heights. And I almost blurted it out, wanting to holler I was her dad from the rooftops. But I was out of my depth. Not that it had ever stopped me before. Except, I wanted this first meeting between us to go off without a hitch. So I let Rory lead the introduction.

“Yes.” Amelia nodded nervously.

Rory caressed her head and nodded toward me. “Baby, this is your father, James Nolan.”

Amelia’s eyes landed on me. They were so much like my mother’s, it was uncanny. Her bottom lip trembled. “You’re my dad? And you came back for me? You really came?”

“Of course I came back for you. I’ve just been overseas.” Which was a lie, but I wasn’t going to make this harder than it was. “And I’d like to know everything about you. From here on out, you can call me anytime you want, and I’m going to give you my email too. When I’m deployed overseas, email is the best. You can write me and tell me about your days at school, your friends, anything you want.” I waited, wondering if I said something wrong. I had no idea what I was doing. I’d never been a father before. I held my breath as she stared with tears rimming her lashes.

And she floored me. With a cry, Amelia threw herself into my arms and hugged me. It was the most natural thing in the world to hug her back. Her hair smelled like coconuts and that sickly sweet scent of sweat. My heart came close to bursting out of my chest. Love more powerful than anything I’d ever felt before, even more than the love I had for Rory once upon a time, hit me like a rogue wave.

I held my daughter in my arms for the first time, blinking back tears. And in that moment, I knew I’d slay dragons for her. I’d defend her with my last breath. I’d lay down my life to save hers. A love purer than anything I’d ever known washed over me. And I glanced over her head at Rory. There were tears in her lovely eyes—happy tears.

While I wasn’t ready to forgive her yet for keeping Amelia from me because I’d missed out on so much. But maybe, just maybe, we could mend fences—for Amelia’s sake. We’d be connected for the rest of our lives because of the little girl in my arms. And I didn’t want a war. My life had been consumed with it for the last eighteen years. I wanted peace and family. I wanted to be this girl’s family.

“I’m going to get started on dinner. You guys can hang out for a bit.” Rory left me with Amelia.

I nodded in response, then leaned back a bit, still not ready to release my daughter just yet, and said to Amelia, “I brought you some gifts. I wasn’t sure what you’d like. Would you like to open them?”

“You brought me presents?”

“Yeah.” I grinned. “I figure I missed a few birthdays and Christmases and wanted to make good on it. Go ahead. Open them. And if there’s anything you don’t like, we can take it back.”

Amelia squealed in excitement as she grabbed the first of the gifts on the coffee table, ripping into them with glee. She gasped at the black leather biker jacket.

“Why don’t you try it on and make sure it fits?”

And she did. It was a mite loose, but that meant she would grow into it a bit. It would still work when I took her out on my Harley. But I was also thinking I needed to add a sidecar to my bike. I didn’t want her in danger. Putting her in the seat behind me on the bike just didn’t sit well with me, but I wouldn’t break my promise to her.

“It’s so soft. I love it.” She hugged the jacket against her chest like it was the most precious thing she’d been given. And it made me feel ten feet tall.

“There’s plenty more there.” I watched her open the box with the motorcycle helmet that should fit her and then the gloves with ribald enthusiasm.

But it was the last gift that had her gasping. She glanced at me with wide eyes and her mouth open in surprise. “Is that real?”

Chuckling at her endearing expression, I nodded. “Yeah. Do you like it?”

“I love it. I’ve never owned a real diamond before.” She pulled the gold necklace with the single diamond on it out of the jewelry box with reverence.

“Here. Want me to help you put it on?”

She nodded and handed it over, then turned around. My hands fumbled a bit as I undid the clasp and then looped it around her neck.

“I can’t believe you bought me a diamond.”

“My dad did the same for my sister when she was about your age. He believed a girl’s first diamond should come from her dad.” And I understood my dad in ways I never had until now. He’d been stern with clearly defined family traditions because they were important. Or at least that’s what he told my sister and me.

“I have grandparents?” She issued an amazed exclamation, like the thought never occurred to her.

“Yeah,” I chuckled, “And I know they can’t wait to meet you. You’ve also got an aunt, uncle, and a couple of cousins about your age.”

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