Broken Dawn by Anna Katmore

Author:Anna Katmore [Katmore, Anna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-10-31T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7

Raffael

Sebastian lopes down the stairs, and I follow him back into Michelle’s nursery. While we were in his room, the sleepy toddler turned into a lovely princess wearing a red summer dress. She sits patiently on the baby changing table while her mother combs her thin, honey-blond hair. With her hands folded in front of her chest, she gazes at the door where Sebastian and I stand. She still has that otherworldly look in her sapphire eyes.

“Honestly, what did you do to my daughter, Raffael?” Claudia says and laughs as she notices we’re back. “Brushing her hair is usually the worst torture in the world for her. We never get this done without a fit. And here she sits, as quiet as a mouse, waiting until it’s over.” She puts the brush away and instead grabs a wet facecloth from the table. Michelle closes her eyes as Claudia wipes it over her face once, from her forehead to her chin.

“She wants to be pretty for her prince,” Sebastian teases.

I find it truly hard to look away when the girl captures me with her gaze. “And pretty she is,” I say with a smile as I slowly walk toward her.

“I’ll be out in the garden for a minute,” Sebastian informs us and then disappears. To have a smoke while the girl is still inside, I imagine.

Claudia slips Michelle’s left foot into a neat white sandal. I take the other one and buckle the shoe around her ankle. “Where’s her dad?” I ask Claudia, curious because nobody said anything about when he’d be home.

With a frown, Claudia puts the romper that Michelle wore earlier in the hamper. “Her dad screws an English teacher in France now,” she murmurs low enough so only I can hear.

“Ouch.” I grimace.

“He left before Michelle was even born. We were only together for two years, and luckily not married.” Claudia rolls her eyes and laughs bitterly. “He hasn’t seen his daughter once since she was born.”

That’s a double ouch. How could one not want to see this little precious? Or be her daddy? Since the subject obviously presses on Claudia’s mood, I drop it and stroke my fingers through Michelle’s bangs. Then I carefully hold out both hands, ready to lift her down from the table, waiting curiously for her reaction.

Every time Michelle blinks, the sun catches on those blue gems and makes them sparkle. No smile, no laugh, just an incredibly intense look. And then she stretches her arms toward me; apparently, the sign that I’m now allowed to carry her.

Her arms folded over her chest, Claudia stands nearby and shakes her head, chuckling. “She’s totally under your spell.”

The feeling is mutual. Carefully, I take the child into my arms. When her big eyes are near mine, I smile and say, “Hi.” No word slips out. All she does is look, blink, and breathe. “Wanna go out and find your uncle in the garden?”

She nods, and it’s interesting to see that she at least reacts to my questions.

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