“Stop…fighting…it.” I moved to the floor at her feet, wedging myself between her legs and holding her face to keep her from looking away. “I came into your life six years ago when you needed me. You came back into mine when I needed you. And now…stop looking at this moment as you once again needing me, because I need you just as much. We may never be rich with money, but I can promise you, we will always be rich in love. I will work my ass off to give you and Ayla everything you need. Everything you could possibly want. I’ll work two jobs, teaching and lawn care, if that means you get the chance to start up and fulfill your dream.”
“You can’t sacrifice that for me, Axel. That’s all you’ve ever done. You sacrificed your job for me once before, and look how that turned out. We will never survive if I continue to drag you down.”
“Love is sacrifice, Bree. And I don’t see it like that. You’ve sacrificed a lot for me already. You gave up school to give me a daughter. You lied to your parents to protect me. So think of this as me repaying you, me giving you back something you deserve. You’re giving me another chance at the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and giving me a little girl that’s the best parts of both of us…let me do this for you. I live by myself. The house is big enough.”
“That sounds great and all, but it’s really fast. You just walked back in my life a few weeks ago, just found out about Ayla five days ago, and it’s only been about thirty seconds since I’ve even conceded at the thought of us being together again. Don’t start packing my bags yet, Batman.”
I raised an eyebrow, watching the corners of her lips lift. “Batman?”
“Well, you’re not Superman. Batman is a real person—he isn’t from some magical planet with superpowers. So you’re Batman. At least that’s what I told Ayla. She overheard me talking to Sarah when I told her about your hero complex. She was three and thought that meant you were a superhero.”
An unfamiliar feeling filled my chest, blazing hot and threatening to bring tears to my eyes. Not just from what Bree said, but also over the simple fact that no matter what had transpired between us, she continued to speak highly of me to our daughter. “I could be Iron Man. He’s a real person without superpowers. And he’s technically a genius. Plus, he drives nice cars. I’d like to drive nice cars,” I said with a mischievous smile, attempting to show her how good we’ve always been together. How easy things could be if we’d just allow it, just let go and fall. As long as we were together, we could fall anytime and be okay.
Bree nearly choked on her laugh, her eyes lighting up as she finally gave in. “Whatever, Axel. Be whatever hero you want. But I’m serious. I can’t just move in with you. We still haven’t told Ayla the truth, and we have so much to work through. I understand that we’ve waited so long to be together, but we just need to wait a little bit longer. Please. All good things come to those who wait.”
“Ayla might fall for that, but I’ve been waiting six freaking years.”
“Let’s get through telling Ayla. Let’s see how she handles it, how she takes it. This isn’t all about us, you know. We have to think of her and how she feels about it all. There’s no immediate rush to move out. And we still have to work out getting her name changed. About that…I know I said if that’s what you wanted, I would do it, but ultimately, it’s what she wants. We can ask her what name she wants. And whatever she chooses, you must be okay with it.”
I nodded, understanding what she meant. I had to put on the brakes and slow it down. “Okay, I agree. I will give us time to work out everything. We won’t make any immediate plans about living or jobs. But if you think I’m going to back off, if you think I’m still going to give you space to sort shit out, you’re sadly mistaken.”
“The only thing I needed to sort out was how to tell you about Ayla. That little girl has always had a way of changing things for me. I think things are going one way, I make plans and get prepared for one thing, and then she barrels through it all. It’s Ayla’s way or no way.”
I sat back on my haunches, feeling more complete than ever before. “Sounds familiar. You still have a way of hitting me upside the head like a wrecking ball. And no matter what plans you destroy, I always accept it with a smile.”
“Okay, Axel. You can say it now.”
“Say what?” I asked, already knowing what she meant.
“You know…that you love me.”
“Oh, I do? And how do you know that?”
She grinned and did a fluttering eye-roll, “Because I love you, too.”
“Yeah, I already know that. Ayla told me earlier. She also said you think I’m really really really handsome.” I leaned in closer, pulling her face to mine. “But that’s fine, because I think you’re really really really gorgeous. And I love you.”
Aubrey had to go into the bathroom and shut the water off. Apparently, Ayla liked to take long showers, which I could only assume she spent most of the time playing and not washing. My niece always did the same in her baths. But Ayla finally got out and dressed for bed, coming into the living room to join us.
My heart pounded in my chest and my palms grew clammy, knowing that at any minute, Ayla would stop looking at me as her teacher and start seeing me as her father. I had no idea what her reaction would be, and the anticipation nearly crippled me. Excitement fluttered inside, while at the same time, fear gripped my throat, causing my breathing to turn shallow and ragged.
“Ayla, sweetheart, did you have fun tonight at the dance?” Bree asked while Ayla nodded with excitement. “Did you like having Mr. Taylor there as your daddy?” Once again, she nodded eagerly with a bright smile on her face, eyeing me as she regarded her mother. “Do you remember everything I’ve told you about your daddy?”
“Yeah. You said that even though he doesn’t know me, he still loves me like I love him. You said if he knew me, he would want me in hims life.”
“His life, Ayla. His,” Bree corrected with a straight face, even though I couldn’t quiet my chuckle. “Don’t encourage her. Otherwise, she’ll grow up speaking like you.”
I turned to my daughter and nodded, leaning forward on the couch cushion to get closer to where she sat on the coffee table. “Yes, Ayla. He wants you in hims life. Very much so.”
Bree slapped my bicep with the back of her hand and rolled her eyes at me. “Anyway…how would you feel if your daddy was here? Would you want to meet him? Do you want to know who he is?”
“Will he sing me his songs?” Ayla asked with wide eyes and a giant grin.
I turned to Bree, questioning her with a stare and a raised brow. But she didn’t look my way, only kept her eyes on the little girl in front of her while failing at hiding her own grin.
“Sweetheart, we’ve talked about this. Your daddy was only named after that man on the CD. Those aren’t his songs. He can’t sing to save his life. Completely tone deaf.” Humor filled her words as her lips curled up.
I felt bad for Ayla. She probably had no idea what we were talking about, the joke going right over her head. But the corners of her mouth lifted and she nodded as if everything made perfect sense to her.
“Is he here? Can I meet him? Can I hug him?”
Bree glanced at me out of the corner of her eyes. I could tell she needed help, but I had no idea what to do. This news couldn’t come from me. It had to come from her mother. Bree was the only one that could do this.