For a moment, I sat there in shock, looking at Elva and her wide, earnest eyes.

Nicholas wasn’t exactly the last person I thought she’d say. He had been visiting her a lot lately, he always seemed to make time for her. But I would have thought Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny would

have taken higher priority for a three year old

My face burned hot at the implication that Nicholas would well, we would have to be married for

Nicholas to be Elva’s father, wouldn’t we?

I cleared my throat. “Um, Elva, honey Nicholas can’t be your dad

Elva tilted her head. “Why not?”

“Someday he’s going to have his own family to take care of His own wife, and his own kids. He won’t

have time to spend with you and me

Elva’s shoulders slumped “Why?”

“We won’t be living here anymore then, and he’d have to travel away from them to see us. You wouldn’t

want him to make his family sad, just so he’d come to see us?

“But I’ll be sad

Her face fell and my heart ached.

“Someday, I’ll find a nice man that wants to be a part of our family, Elva And he’ll be the best dad you

hope

the ground. “But I

I

her. I understood her attachment to

good with Elva. He

husband. I remembered our days together. He was ambitious

world, but he always compromised with me. He

time and

we fought with one another, we would always

he caressed my cheek with his thumb 1 can’t sleep

unhappy”

man into a future where we would be married and

C

+15 BONUS

he’d bid her goodnight and come to me We’d hold each other through the night, just as we had done in the past, when one of us or

he was it haunted

pulling myself back into the present There, I chastised myself for thinking of Nicholas that way

good reasons, too

we would never be together. And

I

him then either

on the

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