"Mommy, where are we going?"

The excitement lighting Danni's beautiful emeralds as she stared up at me had a smile inching its way across my face despite my anxiety over the entire night. She wasn't used to fun adventures with me; those had become reserved for her time with Grandma and Grandpa. I knew the moment she recognized where we were going, she'd be jumping up and down and nearly fainting with excitement.

"I need Minnie." She blurted as soon as I'd finished doing her hair. I let go and she hurried to her room at the end of the hall. I headed down the hall, letting my messy bun loose on my way into the dining room. Ash was perched on the arm of the sofa, eyebrows draw, lips pursed. I couldn't tell if she was angry or focused, but my suspicions on who she was texting were confirmed when she caught me staring in her peripheral and muttered an angry, "Chris."

She tucked her phone into her pocket the second Danni's footsteps neared and she fell into a crouch with a gasp, "Would you look at you! You look like a princess!"

Danni giggled and twirled around for Ashley, holding the skirt of her cute little blue dress. A knock on the door didn't faze either of them, but I immediately felt my palms starting to sweat and hurried to the door to face the fire.

James stood on the porch, one of his arms against the wall with a single red rose with a small Koala bear hugging the stem. The other held a bouquet of Poppies to his chest. He was dressed as casually as I was in a royal blue v-neck, dark-clad jeans, and a leather jacket, but the shirt did wonders for his eyes and it took Ash joining us in the doorway for me to shake myself back into reality.

"What, no flowers for me?" Ash asked, feigning hurt with both hands over her chest. "I see how it is, James."

He chuckled and took the gap that Ash left between the door and me as an opportunity to squeeze into the house. Danni, preoccupied with her stuffed Minnie Mouse, slowly turned hearing me press the door shut behind me and squealed.

"James!" she screeched, a sound that matched that of a banshee, and raced across the room to greet him. I stared in astonishment, having never seen my daughter so excited in my life. I looked over James' head as he knelt and at my best friend. She was smiling, eyes on the two in the center of the living room.

"My Lady." James says in a mock British accent as he extends the single flower to my daughter. She giggles and curtsies before snatching it and hugging it to her chest. When I averted my eyes to keep myself together, I found Ash had taken a picture of it and was slipping her phone back into her pocket. As James stood and returned to me, Ash went to join Danni.

"I know they aren't the freshest, some are kind of wilted." James stated as he approached. "But you said your favorite flowers were Poppies and these were the only ones they had."

I caught Ashley smirking over his shoulder, but shook my head. "I. . . no, James. You didn't have to do this. It's too much and—"

"And you're going to stop there." Ash states, gathering the flowers from my hand and into her own. "What she means to say, James, is thank you."

"I know." James answered with a quiet laugh, eyes still on me. "Are you guys ready to go?"

Danni jumped off the couch and rushed us. "You're coming with us? Mommy? Is he coming?"

"I am." James replied. "If that's okay with you."

She nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! Yes, it's okay!"

I grabbed my purse from the recliner and threw it over my shoulder. "You ready to go, Danni?"

"Where are we going?" she asked, placing her small hand in my own. When I only smiled, she turned to James. "Where?"

He opened the door and held it open for the two of us, responding with only a mysterious, "You're going to have to wait and see."

*

I followed Danni as she pointed and explained all the different animals to me, an excited bounce in every step as she taught James and me everything she'd learned from my mom and school. Once her attention had become focused on James, I fell back a step and checked my phone, not surprised to find the photo Ash had snuck at the house earlier in my inbox. I opened it and an involuntary flutter erupted somewhere deep in the pit of my stomach where I'd try my best to keep my emotions.

The look of pure adoration and kindness in James' eyes as he stared at my daughter, his arm outstretched with her flower, was beautiful. As was the excitement lighting every inch of Danielle's face. That was a look I hadn't seen in so long I'd thought her father had snuffed out that little spark in her as he had me. Seeing it tonight brought back many feelings in me I wasn't sure I was ready to revisit.

"Hey, I think Princess Danni is a bit worn out." James' voice filled the quiet room and I shut my phone screen off and lifted my head to find he'd joined me, Danni in his arms, her head against his shoulder. Even from afar I could see she was struggling to keep her eyes open. "Let's head out."

I smiled and fell into step beside both. Danielle was out by the time we reached James' Camero. Once he'd strapped her in, he pressed the door gently and opened the passenger door for me, but hesitated and rested his arm across the top of it. "Are you good?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."

"Harley." he said softly. "What's wrong?"

I made a gesture toward the backseat. "I haven't ever seen her smile like that."

"Well, get used to it." he retorted with a smile. "Because I'm going to make sure that smile never leaves her face."

"James." I warned, avoiding eye contact. "Please don't."

He pushed off the door and walked around to touch his hand to my forearm. "Don't what?"

"She'll get attached."

"And what's wrong with that?"

I finally forced my head up and met his eyes. "What's wrong with that is she's four years old and will get the wrong idea."

It took him a few minutes to conjure up a response but when he did, I swear every animal and car grew silent in anticipation as they had the night he tended to my injuries in front of Blues.

"What's wrong with letting her have a little hope?" James brushed his thumb across my bottom lip. "She spent the first three years of her life in constant fear and traumatized. Let her have this, Harley."

I understood as I leaned into his touch what it was he was trying to say.

Let me have this.

James had been Danielle his entire childhood. He'd been in constant fear, traumatized beyond comprehension. This friendship, this bond he was trying to form with me and my daughter was as much for him as it was us.

"James." I breathed against his touch. "We can't. I can't."

He dropped his hand limply to his side without even a second of hesitation hearing my words. "I know. And it won't change anything."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't for a second think I will let your daughter become attached and walk out of her life, Harley. Unfortunately for you, you're stuck with me until she grows tired of me being around."

The hurt in his voice was undeniably in the latter part of his response, but still nothing like how Dalton would get when he was angry or I refused his advances. It was strange, not having to cower and brace myself for a blow.

"It's not that I don't want you around." I tried to find the right words. "It's that I do, James. I don't like that you make me feel again. That you make me feel at all. I'm still trying to heal from everything. My priority right now is getting Danni back in my custody."

The right side of his mouth curved into a smile as he took my hand in his own. "Right person, wrong time."

"Yeah."

He stepped aside so I could get in the car, waiting until I was seated to shut the door and walk around the car. He straightened with a smile, then reached across the console to squeeze my hand. "That's okay. If there's one thing I've learned after all these years, it's time is the best medicine. I'll be your friend for however long you need me here, Harley, and if you ever want more than that, great. If not, then I'll be happy to remain where I'm at."