Zeke stayed at Cassidy’s apartnt for a little over an hour. He wanted to stay longer, but he knew it wasn’t the right ti. He needed to take things slowly with Claire, and with Cassidy.
When he stood up to leave, Claire’s smile faded. She walked over to him, hugging her bunny tight.
"You’re leaving already?" she asked with a small pout.
Zeke crouched down in front of her. "Yeah. The doctor said you still need to rest at ho, rember?"
Claire looked down. "But I’m not tired."
Zeke smiled. "You still need to take it easy, champ."
She looked up again. "Will you co visit tomorrow?"
Zeke was surprised, but it made him happy. "You want to co back?"
Claire nodded.
"If you want to," Zeke said softly, "I’ll co see you tomorrow."
Claire grinned. "Okay! I’ll let you play with Sparkle again."
Zeke chuckled and gently ruffled her hair. "I’d like that."
As Zeke said goodbye, Cassidy spoke up.
"I’ll walk you down."
Zeke looked at her, a little surprised. "You will?"
Cassidy nodded. "Yes."
He hadn’t expected it, but he appreciated the gesture. Even a few quiet monts with her felt aningful.
They walked together down the hallway in silence.
Halfway through, Zeke spoke. "I wanted to say I’m sorry... for what happened that day."
Cassidy glanced at him. She knew exactly what he was referring to, what happened with Tyler, and the things he had said.
"It’s alright," she said calmly. "I’ve put it behind ."
Zeke lowered his gaze. "I know. I just... still regret it. I shouldn’t have said those things."
Zeke slowed his steps as they reached the lobby, then turned slightly toward Cassidy.
"Would it be alright if I ca to visit Claire again tomorrow?" he asked, his tone more careful this ti.
Cassidy looked at him, her expression unreadable. "Didn’t you already promise her you’d co?"
Zeke gave a faint smile. "I did. But I still wanted to ask you first. This is your ho, after all."
Cassidy paused, then gave a small nod. "It’s fine. You’re welco to co."
Zeke nodded in return, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly. "Thank you."
Cassidy looked at him and said calmly, "You don’t need to thank . Claire is your daughter too. I’m not going to stop you if you want to see her."
Zeke held her gaze for a mont, then nodded. "Thank you... again."
Cassidy crossed her arms loosely, her voice thoughtful. "Claire’s getting better. So what’s your plan now? Do you want her to know who you are right away, or... do you have sothing else in mind?"
Zeke took a quiet breath before answering. "I want her to know. She deserves to know the truth."
He paused, then added more softly, "But more than that... I want to build a real bond with her first. I want her to feel safe with . So when the ti cos, she won’t just hear the truth. she’ll accept it, fully."
Cassidy nodded slowly, understanding. "Alright."
Zeke walked beside her for a mont, then asked quietly, "So... about that. I’ve been aning to ask, did you ever tell Claire anything about her father? Or about ?"
Cassidy glanced at him briefly, then looked ahead again.
"When we were still in Switzerland," she began, "I told her her dad was working far away."
Zeke listened without interrupting.
"I said he worked in a tall building and that he was too busy to co see us because he was working hard to earn money for us."
Zeke chuckled softly. "Well... your explanation wasn’t wrong," he said, his tone light.
He looked at Cassidy with a small smile.
"It’s true. I was working far away. And I did spend most of my ti in tall buildings."
Cassidy gave a faint smile in return but said nothing.
Once they reached the front doors of the lobby, Zeke stopped and turned to Cassidy.
"I’ll see you tomorrow," he said quietly but surely.
Cassidy gave a small nod in response, saying nothing.
***
Zeke drove his car ho, still humming quietly to himself. There was a calm, happy feeling in his chest he hadn’t felt in a long ti.
Suddenly, Zeke’s phone rang. He didn’t answer right away, he slipped in his Bluetooth earpiece first, then tapped to take the call.
It was Thomas.
"Where are you?" Thomas asked.
"Driving ho. Why?" Zeke replied.
"I need your opinion," Thomas said. "Hannah’s birthday is coming up and I have no idea what to get her."
Zeke frowned. "You’re calling for that?"
Thomas sighed. "I just want to know what you think."
"Give her diamonds," Zeke said dryly. "Don’t won like diamonds?"
"I already did that. Two years ago."
Zeke paused, then said, "A luxury car."
"Hannah doesn’t like flashy cars."
Zeke let out a short breath. "Fine. Give her a blank check."
Thomas groaned. "You really don’t understand won, do you? You’re hopeless when it cos to romance."
Zeke defended himself. "Then if you know I’m like this, why did you even call ?"
Thomas sighed dramatically. "Yeah, you’re right. I shouldn’t have. I asked the wrong person."
"You’re wasting my ti," Zeke muttered.
Thomas didn’t hold back. "No wonder you’re still single. There’s not a romantic bone in your body. Keep this up, and you’ll die a lonely old man."
Zeke narrowed his eyes. "Don’t jinx ."
Thomas burst out laughing on the other end of the line. Still chuckling, Thomas said, "Good night, Roo."
Before Zeke could respond, the line went dead.
Zeke rolled his eyes and took out his earpiece, tossing it onto the passenger seat with a sigh.
Zeke stared at the road ahead, Thomas’s words still echoing in his head. He let out a quiet sigh.
Thomas was right, he really wasn’t the romantic type.
He wanted to get to know Cassidy better, but didn’t know how to begin.
Winning her over wasn’t going to be like winning Claire’s heart. It was a whole different challenge. Claire welcod him with open arms.
But Cassidy... she was guarded. Careful.
And this ti, he couldn’t afford to ss it up.
***
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