Page 35 of Broken Strings

I'll never be the reason my wife and daughter cry ever again. Don't give a fuck what it takes to keep that promise to myself, I'll do it.

"It's about a little boy who finds a giant alien robot and decides to become his friend," I murmur. "Bad guys try to hurt the little boy and all of his friends, so the Giant rescues them, even though it means he gets hurt."

"Oh no," she whispers, her eyes wide as she reaches for my hand.

"It's okay, baby girl," I promise, squeezing her little fingers. "He's a special robot. He comes back."

"Really?"

"Yep."

She beams up at me. "He's like you then, Daddy. You came back. That makes you special."

I glance over her head at Mina, who smiles sweetly as she steps into the room from the kitchen. "He is special," she murmurs to our daughter, leaning up against the doorframe. "But not even he can keep you up two hours past your bedtime, lovebug."

"But, Mommy."

"She's right," I say gently. "It's late, sweetheart. And you've already been up later than you should be."

Brinley's little face falls, breaking my heart. Christ, telling her no is going to be hard as hell. I don't fucking like it at all. But Mina already let her stay up an hour and a half later than usual to give us this time. I can't be greedy and ask for more when she has school tomorrow. She'll be exhausted.

"Will you spend the night, Daddy?" she asks, her bottom lip poking out. "Please?"

My gaze flies to Mina, gauging her reaction to the request. Frankly, wild horses couldn't drag me away. But I don't know if she's ready for Brinley to know the ins and outs of our relationship yet. We didn't talk about that. This situation is so fucking complicated. We don't just have our own feelings and desires to navigate. We have Brinley and what she needs to consider.

Is it best for her for me to just barge into their lives and create a space for myself? Is it the worst possible thing for her? I don't fucking know. All I know is that my daughter wants me here, I want to be here…and judging by the look on my wife's face, so does she.

"You want him to spend the night?" Mina asks, far more adept at navigating through this than I am. She picks her way through carefully, letting Brinley lead the way.

"Yes!" Our daughter bounces again, her little head bobbing rapidly. "He should always stay here so we can be a real family."

"Is that what you want, baby girl? You want us to be a real family?"

Brinley cocks her head to the side, staring at Mina. "Aren't we a real family, Mommy? Now that he's back?"

Mina glances at me, sorrow shifting through her emerald eyes. I know exactly what she's thinking about—the fact that, legally, I don't even exist anymore. That we aren't even married anymore. As far as the world is concerned, we aren't a family. I'm not even supposed to be here.

I fucking hate that look on her face. Doesn't matter what the rest of the world believes. What matters is what we think and how we feel. If she needs me to unravel the legal shit to make this real to her, I'll find a way to do it. I need my ring on her finger again.

"Yeah," she whispers, licking her lips. "We are a real family."

Brinley beams again, clapping her little hands. "Then can he spend the night, Mommy? Please, please, please?"

"It's up to him, baby girl."

Brinley immediately whips her head in my direction, a plea in her eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere, baby girl," I promise, not giving her time to voice it. "I'm staying right here with my girls."

Judging by the looks on both of their faces, it's the right answer.

Our daughter squeals, jumping up onto the cushion to throw her arms around me. Mina meets my gaze over her head, her emerald eyes dark with unspoken desire. But she doesn't need to voice it. I feel the same goddamn need pounding through me with every beat of my heart.

"Let's get you in bed, baby girl," I murmur, lifting Brinley in my arms to carry her to bed.

She doesn't fight or utter a single complaint this time. She just rests her little head against my shoulder with a happy sigh, allowing me to carry her up to her room behind Mina.

She's already brushed her teeth, so I deposit her in the center of her unicorn bed amidst a sea of stuffed animals. She snuggles right in, her eyes locked on my face.