Fool!
Smiling up at him, Nemi wrapped her arms around his thigh and squeezed, making him grunt. “Okay. I’ll do it ‘cuz you said so.”
Yeah, she loved my parents, but Grandpa was something special. Both of her grandpas were special to Nemi. She’d cuddle up to Mom and Angelique happily, let them braid her hair, and talk pirates with them, but as soon as a grandpa entered the room, she was attached to them like glue.
It wasn’t until Canon had told me his theory about it that I’d understood why she was like that. She hung onto males who were close to her and her mom, almost like she was afraid they’d leave them like her dad had. She never asked about him, but being at preschool and seeing the dads dropping off her friends must have triggered something in her.
Which reminded me of something I needed to do.
Squatting down, I whistled to get her attention. Sure enough, the second she saw me, she let go of Dad and ran over, almost choking me when she threw her arms around my neck.
“Hey, sweetheart. Before the wedding starts, I wanted to have a little chat with you. Is that okay?”
Pulling back, she nodded her head like a bobble doll. “Sure is, Bond.”
Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out the little black velvet box I’d been carrying around since I asked her mom to marry me, looking for the perfect time to give it to Nemi. And it didn’t get much more perfect than now.
“When I bought your mom her ring, I wanted to get you something, too, just to show you how committed I am to you. You mean as much to me as your mom does, and I have absolutely no intentions of ever changing that.”
Nemi looked at the box and then back up at me, and I could see a million questions flitting around her brain. She finally settled on just one, though. “Are you my daddy now?”
Wow. That wasn’t easy to answer.
“I want to be, more than anything else in the world. After today, we’ll look at how to make it happen legally, but until then, I’ll be it without the legal paperwork that confirms it. Do you understand what I mean?”
“Why does a piece of paper make you a daddy? Pandora’s daddies didn’t make her, and they’re still her daddies.”
Pandora being one of Tony’s daughters and a close friend of Nemi’s.
“Olivia’s daddy didn’t make her either, and he’s still her daddy, too,” she continued.
That was the local tattoo artist who’d done some of mine and my brothers tattoos, Ellis. He’d married the sheriff’s wife’s sister and had adopted her daughter. Really, when Nemi laid it out like that, what she said was true. There wasn’t a blood link there, but none of them acted like it was missing. A bit like I felt toward Nemi.
“And Tuck’s adopted by his mommy and daddy, but he’s still their son. Why does a piece of paper mean anything?”
This girl should be a lawyer. Over her shoulder, I saw Scarlett and Adam Montgomery sitting with their son, Tuck, beside them, their one-year-old baby in Adam’s arms, fast asleep. Again, nothing but the truth.
“It doesn’t make a difference to any of it. What matters is what’s in here.” I thumped my fist against my chest. “It’s the government and the law who want the paper, but I kind of do, too. I want everyone to know you’re my daughter.”
Lifting a shoulder, she said simply, “Then we get the damn paper.”
Cash, my brothers, and my parents all burst out laughing.
Instead of telling her off, I just grinned at her. “That we will. Until then, do you think you’d do me the biggest honor of wearing this for me?”
I passed her the velvet box and waited until she opened it. Inside was a silver bracelet with three stones in it and space for more, but I’d had Nemi Klein inscribed on the inside of it. Yes, it was presumptuous, but it was going to happen, and Heidi had loved the idea when I’d told her what I wanted to do. Plus, her mom would be a Klein after today legally, and I didn’t want Nemi to feel left out at all.
“That’s my name,” she breathed, holding the bracelet close to her face.
“That’s your new name,” I corrected, holding my hand out for it. “Can I put it on you?”
Passing it to me, she waited as I did the clasp up. “What are the pretty colors on it?”
“Those are birthstones from the month’s each of us were born,” I explained once I was done. “This one’s mine.” I pointed at the sapphire. “This one’s Mom’s.” I pointed to the amethyst next to it. “And this one’s yours.” I pointed at the moonstone.
“What about when you have more babies?” she pouted. “They won’t be on it.”