#Chapter 461 – Tucking In

Marigold studies me for a long moment and I feel Jackson step close, feel him settle down on the ground behind me. The little girl flicks her eyes to him and then back to me. “Ariel,” she whispers, and my name said in her tiny voice makes my heart seize. I smile at her – a big, rich smile – even as tears slip out of the corners of my eyes. I wipe them hastily away, not wanting her to think that I’m sad. “Yup, that’s right,” I say, laughing a little and shifting my eyes to my mom – who, of course, is also crying. Marigold shifts her eyes to Jackson, a clear question on her face as she tries to figure out what his name is. She knows the rest of us by name, after all, except him. His name – the name of the most important person in the room to her right now. The person with whom she has a bond, whom she already knows to be attached to her. “Um,” Jackson says, working hard to keep his voice casual and steady. “I guess you can just call me…dad. If that’s okay with you.” Marigold s