Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 85569 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 428(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85569 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 428(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
We remained silent, neither of us moving towards the other.
I looked at my watch. “Our one hour is nearly up,” I said softly.
There was a knock on our door, and she turned to face me. “Bullseye.”
I sat up and put my t-shirt back on, and Montana jumped to her feet. I watched as she headed over to the door. She unlocked the door and opened it.
"You did the tour without me?” Anya complained.
Chapter 44
Montana
“Actually, we haven’t started yet,” Cole told her. “But it’s getting late. Maybe next time, huh?”
“Okay.”
“Come and join us,” he invited.
I took her by the hand and brought her back to the divan. She seemed to have the biggest smile on her face, and as she wriggled around and settled in between us, I laid back down on the divan once again.
It didn’t feel strange to be with them even though I'd never really given much thought to having a family. I guess I hadn’t exactly met anyone that made me even want to consider it, but with him and with Anya, I couldn’t help but imagine.
Part of me was relieved that Cole was honest with me, and the dreaded discussion had gone relatively calmly. I was lost in my thoughts, but I could suddenly feel his eyes on me, watching me, and so I turned, and indeed, he was looking at me.
I knew I had so much more to say to him. Our discussion wasn’t over yet, but at that moment, I didn’t really want to speak. I just wanted to bask in the strangely peaceful time with this man and his child.
"Miss Moore, is your home safe?" Anya suddenly asked.
I pulled my attention away from her father and looked at her without understanding why she was asking me such a strange question. “Yes, I think it is safe.”
"That’s good," she said. "Dad wants to keep us safe at all times. Sometimes though, I still feel as though nowhere is safe."
I watched the little girl curiously. "Why would you feel like nowhere is safe?"
My heart’s pace began to pick up. I felt anxious at what she would reveal. Maybe, I’d been waiting for the other shoe to drop because he just seemed too perfect, too good to be true. I wasn’t hoping for it to drop since I was still infatuated with him, but if there was something that could bring me back to my senses, I dreaded it and wished for it.
To my surprise, Cole didn’t try and stop her, instead watched her intently, as though he too was curious about what she wanted to say.
"Because there could be bad people coming. If you’re in danger, you can come here. Dad said this house is really safe.” She looked up at her father. “Dad, it will be okay, right? If Miss Moore feels scared, she can come over to the safe room, right? So that she can be safe?"
It would have been so easy for her words to fly over my head. They seemed like the normal chatter of children, but I was able to pick out the peculiarity in what she was saying. I turned towards her.
"There’s a safe room?"
"Yeah," she began, sitting up, excited to share this with me. "It has food in it and a lot of—" Suddenly, she stopped and slapped both her hands over her mouth guiltily and looked at her father as if she just remembered she was not supposed to tell anyone about this room. She had done what her father had told her not to do, though I couldn’t quite understand why the presence of this room needed to be a secret. Mischief rose in my heart. I turned to Cole, but he remained neutral and unfazed by what his daughter had revealed.
"Cole, what’s the room about? Could you show me?"
Anya’s head fell forward with shame, and instantly I regretted asking. It was obvious she felt bad about disappointing her father.
"It’s just a safety room in case there is an emergency of some sort," her father explained. “I hope to always be with her, but until I find a nanny I can trust, if for some reason I’m not home and she is, I made a room that she could run to, to feel safe in. She may never need it, but it’s just in case she ever felt worried for any reason."
This made total sense, and it was quite thoughtful and wonderful of him. I nodded, impressed at how caring he was as a father.
"That’s a very good idea." Then I went a little closer to Anya and whispered to her. “I’m also here if you ever feel worried. Never hesitate to reach out to me, alright?"
The excitement and smile came back to her face and she nodded eagerly. Impulsively, she reached forward to hug me. I hugged her back and felt I had started to truly care for this affectionate and loving child.