Page 4 of Lost on Ice
“And there’s my lovebug,” he coos, taking the still-sleeping Lilah from me. That drive really knocked her out. Her head is tucked against his neck as he presses a kiss to her hair.
“Isn’t she precious, Viv?” Dad asks Vivianne, walking over to her, and she smiles, the crinkles next to her eyes growing deeper.
“She really is.”
Dad lays Lilah in one corner of the couch with a blanket before he goes to the kitchen to grab some snacks for us while we catch up.
“So… Abbie, how have things been? It’s been so long since I’ve seen you, and I know that Sophie misses you terribly.” Vivianne whispers next to me, glancing behind me where Lilah is curled up.
Guilt churns in my gut at the thought of my best friend. I really have been a shitty friend the last three years. She knows nothing about Lilah, doesn’t even know that I was pregnant.
I’ve done my best to keep it from Sophie, which unfortunately means I’ve been dodging calls and returning texts not nearly as often as I should. I’d call her in the car on my drive to work after dropping Lilah off at daycare or right after work before picking her up. As far as she knows, my apartment had really shitty cell service. It was easier when I was pregnant and still lived with Beatrice because I could ask her to take Lilah into the other room for me. When we moved out, it became nearly impossible to hide.
“It’s been… I don’t even know where to start,” I admit, running a hand through my shoulder-length brown hair. “I do know… I wanted to thank you for not saying anything to anyone about Lilah.”
“Of course, I understand needing to keep secrets sometimes,” a small smile falls on her face as she looks at my daughter, “I know you had your reasons and respect your choice. However, I do hope that we can all get together as a family now.”
“I would like that,” I choke out, emotion overtaking me as I realize what I’ve deprived Lilah of all this time. Family. Even if all we had at one point was Beatrice, that bond never deepened the way family does.
“And,” she continues, placing her hand over mine, “while I know you’ve also had your reasons for not telling anyone who the father is… I recognize a broken heart when I see one. I hope you know that you’re not alone anymore. I respect that you feel like you’ve had to do this on your own, but you’re back now, and we won’t be keeping our distance.” She gives me a knowing look. “You’re not alone. You never have been, and you never will be.”
“Thank you, Viv.” I turn my hand in hers and grasp it, and we exchange a smile before Dad comes bustling back in with a plate full of cheese, crackers, and sliced meats.
“Hope you guys are hungry; you had a long tri?—”
“Papa!” I turn my head to see Lilah’s eyes wide open, staring at Dad with a huge smile on her face.
“Lovebug!” Dad exclaims, putting the plate on the coffee table as Lilah scrambles off the couch to run to him. He picks her up and tosses her in the air, causing her to squeal with glee. He settles her against his hip, and she wraps her arms around his neck.
“I yuh you, Papa!” Lilah shouts, and Dad looks like he’s about to burst with glee.
“I yuh you too!” he chuckles, clearly enjoying that she still hasn’t quite mastered saying “I love you” since the last time he saw her.
He carries Lilah to the couch where she was sleeping moments before, and she nestles into her Papa’s lap, happy as a clam. He passes her some cheese and crackers, which she contentedly munches on. Vivianne leans across me to talk to Lilah.
“Hi, Lilah. I’m Vivi. Do you want to sit with me and eat some snacks while Mommy and Papa talk?”
Lilah looks between Dad and me, as if looking for permission. She seems a little hesitant, so I jump in. “Vivi is very nice. She might even let you have a cookie if you’re good.”
Lilah’s blue eyes light up as she climbs across me to settle into Viv’s lap. Dad motions for me to stand and follow him.
“That was a bit of a risk you took. What if I didn’t have any cookies?” Dad says quietly as he leads me towards the stairs.
I scoff. “Do you think I’m under the impression that your shortbread cookie addiction has miraculously disappeared in the last few years?”
Dad snorts, shaking his head. “No, I suppose not.”
“Where are we going?” I ask as we reach the top of the steps, and he walks down the hall. I have no idea where we could be going; I had planned on sleeping on the couch tonight.
“I want to show you something.” He stops in front of one of the closed bedroom doors, next to what I believe used to be Carter’s room.
When I come up next to him, he twists the doorknob, and I’m hit in the face with a pile of pink.
Pink walls, pink toddler bedding, pink toy chests. Princesses are all over the bedding, and there’s a painting of a castle on one of the walls. It’s beautiful, and Lilah will absolutely lose her shit.
“Dad…” I trail off. “This is beautiful. But I hope you know that we can’t live with you guys.” He has to know this, right? Why would they go through all this trouble… and shit, has Sophie or Carter seen this room? It’s a pretty damn big renovation.
“I know, honey,” Dad whispers, pulling me to his chest in a hug, and again, I feel warm and safe. “And I love your independence. But I also want you to know that we will take care of Lilah any time you need us, and we would love for you both tostay here as long as you want.” He pauses, staring at me with a knowing smile. “And hey, stop that. I can see the wheels turning in your head. We told Carter and Sophie the room was being turned into a new office space for me, and we locked the door whenever we weren’t working on it.”
