Page 109 of Sherry and Sunflowers
Reaves's throat tightened slowly as it dawned on him who she must be talking about.
"Has he always been in the stars?" he asked.
"Not always. He was kind to Mom when he was here. But he went to the stars before I was born. That's why I don't know him."
Reaves nodded and hugged her a little closer. "I didn't know about him, Z."
"No, I know," she said cheerfully. "But it's okay. Mom says he was very nice. But…" She paused. "I'm kind of glad he's not here."
"You are?" he asked, surprised.
She wrapped her little arm around his middle. "Yeah. Because if he was here, he'd be my daddy. And then you couldn't be."
He had to swallow a couple of times. He didn't know what the hell he could say to that.
She stared up at him. "Then I'd behislittle girl."
He nodded. "I'm sorry that he's gone," he said eventually. "But I'm grateful that you're my little girl."
Her eyes and teeth shone white in the dark as she grinned at him. "Can I be?"
He dropped a kiss on top of her head. "You already are, Z."
"Are you okay in there?" Alara called.
He chuckled as Zia burrowed down under the covers and put her head on the pillow. "Yes, Mom. I'm going to sleep now," she called.
He ran his hand over her hair. "I'm sorry you never got to know him."
Zia lifted her shoulders all the way up to her ears and held them there a beat before letting them fall. "That's okay. If I'd known him, I'd miss him now."
"Yeah." He turned to look out at the stars with her.
"My mom's up there too, you know," he said.
"I know," said Zia. "Grandpa Grape told me. She's having fun riding the stars." She was quiet a moment. "I hope she knows my star man. I think they'd be friends, don't you?"
"Yeah, Z. I believe they would."
Chapter Twenty-Five
"Do you want anything?" Alara asked, hovering by the door to the family room.
She'd seemed kind of antsy since they'd put Zia to bed. She'd been up to check on her a couple of times, and kept offering to fetch drinks or snacks from the kitchen.
He patted the space beside him on the sofa. "I want you to come and sit down and relax."
She gave him a rueful smile. "Sorry."
"It's okay. Is everything all right?"
"Yeah. I think maybe I'm a little on edge because it feels strange, no one else being here."
He cocked an eyebrow, wondering if that meant she was uncomfortable being alone with him—but before his mind could get hung up on the idea, she laughed.
"I knew that came out wrong. I'm not saying I'm afraid to be alone with you. Well—if I am, it's only because I'm worried I might pounce on you too soon."
He choked out a startled laugh. "Did you just say what I think you did?"
