“Uncle Dimitri?” Her small voice was soft, almost shy.
“Yeah, Adele?”
“Can you be my daddy?” She looked up at me with those big eyes, full of hope and trust. “You make me and Mommy very happy. Mommy says so.”
I turned to look at Isabella’s slightly widened eyes, but she immediately averted her gaze.
“Yes,” I managed with a smile. “Yes, I can be your daddy. Forever.”
Adele threw her arms around me, and I held her close, this perfect little person who was half me and half the woman I loved. This miracle I’d almost missed completely.
“And you have to marry Mommy too,” Adele said matter-of-factly, like she was negotiating terms. “Because daddies and mommies are supposed to be married.”
I looked at Isabella. She’d gone very still.
“If she’ll have me,” I said softly, my eyes locked on Isabella’s face.
Isabella stood abruptly, nearly knocking over her chair. “I need—I need a minute.”
She walked away quickly.
“Stay right here, Adele,” I said, setting her gently in the lounge chair. “I’ll be right back.”
I found Isabella by the garden, her hands braced on the railing, her shoulders shaking.
“Isabella—”
“You can’t do that, Dimitri.” Her voice was broken.
“I didn’t do anything,” I said softly. “Adele was only voicing her thoughts, and quite frankly, they’re mine, too.”
She turned to look at me. “Your thoughts? You think about getting married to me?”
“I think about being a real family.”
“Why the hell would you do that?”
“Because I love you.” The words burst out of me. “Because every day without you for the past five years has been torture. Because watching you with our daughter, seeing the amazing mother you are, the strong woman you’ve become—it just makes me love you more. Look, I know I have to earn your trust back. But Isabella, I need you to know—” I moved closer, close enough to see the tears clinging to her lashes. “I’m not going anywhere. I choose you. Every day, every moment, I choose you. And I’ll keep choosing you until youbelieve it.”
She was looking at me like I’d broken something inside her. Like she wanted to believe me, but was terrified of the consequences.
“I can’t lose you again,” I whispered. “I can’t lose either of you. You’re my family. You’re everything.”
“I’m scared,” she admitted. “So scared of trusting you and having you destroy me again.”
“Then don’t trust me yet. Just…give me a chance to prove I’ve changed. To prove I’ll never make the same mistake twice.”
I reached up slowly, giving her time to pull away, and cupped her face in my hands. Wiped away her tears with my thumbs.
Just then, a scream cut through the air.
Our heads snapped towards the pool area. Adele.
We both turned and ran.
The lounge chair where I’d left Adele sat vacant, her stuffed dragon abandoned on the cushion.
“Mommy!” Adele shouted again, and then I saw her.