Chapter 93

There was something warm and sincere about Zane's low voice as he spoke into the quietude of the night. I nodded. "Okay." … When I returned to the bedroom, Willow watched me approach her and said softly, "She's always doing that, coming in to talk to me just as I'm about to sleep. I can't speak, so she'd call me names…" Resentment filled her voice as she added, "She'd call me a deadweight and said Daddy would have been more willing to settle down if it weren't for me." Tears began to roll down her cheeks. I rubbed them away gently and reassured her, "Your dad isn't married yet because he doesn't want to be." Willow looked up at me. "Really?" "Of course." I chuckled as I comforted her, "Trust me, he'd be rushing to the altar if he met someone he truly loved. It's not your fault he hasn't married yet, okay?" She nodded. I picked up the storybook from earlier and continued reading it to her. Perhaps she found the story interesting, or perhaps the weight in her chest had finally l