Page 61 of Lost on Ice
“Thanks.” He looks back down to Lilah, his smile returning. “Bye bye, sweetie.”
“Bye bye!”
Michael gives me a final, suspicious look before handing me Lilah’s bag and turning to make his way down the hall. I let out a breath and shake my head. Pretty sure he can’t stop remembering the punk I used to be and doesn’t like me being around his daughter. Can’t say I blame him, but his constant scrutiny is exhausting.
I shift my focus back to Lilah, who’s still in my arms. “Let’s go inside. Your mom is getting ready for work.”
“Okay!”
I put her down and she hurries into the apartment and as I lock the door. At that moment, Abbie appears from the hall and beams when she spots Lilah.
“Hi, baby!”
She squats and opens her arms, Lilah instantly running into them and returning the hug.
“Hi, Mommy!”
“Did you have a good time with Grandpa and Vivi last night?”
Lilah grins up at her and nods. “Yeah! We watched Elsa!”
“Oh, you watchedFrozen? That’s so fun!” Abbie peeks up at me before swallowing and giving Lilah her full attention again. “Guess what?”
“What?”
“While Mommy’s at work today, you’re going to hang out with Jake. Does that sound fun?”
Lilah looks at me, tilting her head as she’s studying me intently. I freeze and stare back at her, feeling weirdly like she’s seeing right through me before she smiles and nods up to Abbie.
“Yeah! Fun!”
Abbie sighs in relief, as if she was worried how Lilah would respond to the news she’d be spending the day with me. I’m not going to lie, I was worried there for a minute myself.
“Okay, so a few things you need to know,” she tells me, going into serious mom mode. “She’s newly potty trained, but she’ll need help getting on the toilet. When she asks for bread grapes, she really means red grapes. She usually naps at one, right after she has lunch, and when she goes down, she has to have her stuffed elephant with her, or she won’t even pretend to sleep.”
Chuckling, I reply, “Don’t worry. I’ve been around for a little bit now, remember? I know the basics. We’ll be fine. I promise.”
She gives me a nervous smile. “If you need anything, just call.”
“Will do. Do you want breakfast?”
She shakes her head. “I’m running late as it is.”
Abbie gives Lilah another hug and kisses her forehead before she manages to pull herself away. I walk her to the door.
“We’ll see you later,” I tell her.
She gives me a nervous smile. “Have fun.”
She hurries out the door, glancing over her shoulder, and I give her a small wave and reassuring grin before closing and locking the door once more.
“All right, Princess, have you had breakfa…” I turn around and lose my breath.
Lilah’s not there.
What the hell?
Panic seizes me immediately. Fuck! How could I lose her already?
