Andi stares at me, foot tapping the floor. She’s angry, that I know. “So, my job can be sacrificed, but yours can’t.”

“Come on, Andi. That’s not the real reason.”

“No? Sounds like it to me. Why don’t you stay here in Chicago then?”

Grinding my teeth at her suggestion, I say, “I already answered that. You’ve had her for two years. I’ve been denied that by your choice not to tell me I had a daughter.”

“I love my job,” she says. “I can’t just give it up.”

“Why not?”

“It’s not every day you find one like mine.”

“You’re a nurse, Andi. You could be a nurse in Italy if you want.”

She laughs. “It’s not that easy, and I’m not just a nurse. I’m a neonatal nurse. I work with prematurely born or post-surgical babies in intensive care. Some of them weigh only three pounds and are so sick. Imagine how tiny that is.”

Three pounds. That’s barely anything.

“How did you get into that?”

She shrugs. “I was pregnant and wanted nothing but a healthy baby, I guess.”

“So what do you do?”

“Some of them are born with addiction problems, and we have to get them through that; some of them are multiples and born early. Some have heart defects and have to have surgery. There are so many things that can go wrong, and when I look at Violet and see how healthy and happy she is, I thank God it all went okay.”

“Hmm.” I never thought about all of that. “With all your experience, couldn’t you get hired in Italy? Seems to me you’d be of great value to any hospital.” And I mean that in all sincerity.

“I’m not licensed in Italy. I don’t speak the language or even know how to go about doing that.”

For the first time in the last hour, I smile. “That’s easy. Max could tell us.”

“Max?”

“He’s my agent, and the knower of all. I could have him look into it.”

“Oh.” Andi frowns.

“Andi, I’m serious about having her with me. And I’m also serious about taking her back to North Carolina to meet our families. This secret shit is over.”

She hangs her head, but I have zero sympathy for her. I can’t even imagine what her parents will say … or mine.

“My mom is going to shit,” she says.

“So is mine. But we’re adults and can handle it. Besides, Violet has a right to know them too. Look at what she’s missing out on. My God, she would be so spoiled.”

Andi huffs. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

Speaking of Violet, I glance over at the sofa and she’s sound asleep. “Looks like we missed nap time.”

“Yeah.”

“I think I’ll head home.”

“Chase, I don’t want things to be rocky between us.”

A bitter laugh escapes me. How can it not be?

“Andi, how can you expect anything else?”

“What I meant was, it would be nice if we could work things out. Without having to go to court.”

She’s absolutely right. I would hate to drag this out. It wouldn’t be the best thing for Violet, either.

“I agree, but I’m not backing down on this.”

“I know. Do you want to come back for dinner?”

Her invitation surprises me. I’ve thrown a ton of shit her way, but she hasn’t backed away from it. Yes, she’s not happy about it, but I can’t blame her.

“Sure. Can I bring something?”

“If you want anything alcoholic, you may want to bring that. I don’t keep that stuff around. I don’t drink much ever since I had Violet.”

“Okay. What time?”

“Is six okay?”

“You tell me. You’re the one who’s cooking.”

“Six then,” she says.

I wave as I quietly leave, careful not to wake up Violet.

The walk home does me good. I’m able to clear my head away from Andi’s apartment. But the farther away I get, the more convinced I am of my plan. This is the perfect time for the move. Violet is young. We wouldn’t have to worry about school. If Andi wanted to work, Max could find her information on getting licensed. She would also need a work visa. We were so great together once. I would’ve done anything for her. And the reality is, I still would. Why did she do this? The betrayal is like nothing I’ve ever experienced. The deep ache in my heart is bone deep and so unexpected because I still love her so damn much.

A call to Fletcher is in order. He’s my compass and my barometer.

“How’s it going?” he asks.

“Okay. Violet is so fucking cute, man. You wouldn’t believe.”

“Told ya. They’re something, aren’t they?”

“I told Andi I was taking her to Italy, with or without her.”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me, Fletch.”

“But you asked Andi, right?”

“Yep, but even if she doesn’t go, Violet will. I won’t be stopped. I can’t leave that kid behind.”

“Will Andi come?”

A rough chuckle leaves me. “I don’t know. We’re not exactly what you’d call best friends right now.”

“Try to work it out. If not for the two of you, do it for Violet.”

Changing the subject, I say, “I’m going to have Max check into how Andi could get a nursing license in Italy.”

“Good idea,” Fletcher says. “Hey, I gotta run. Cassie is calling for me. Keep me in the know.”

I’m punching in Max’s number when I decide to hang back. I’m not going to bring him into the mix until this is all a sure thing. I can hear him now, giving me shit about it. But I do call the charter service and charter a flight home to North Carolina for the day after tomorrow. Thank God the weather’s finally cleared and planes are flying again. Andi can take a couple of days off. She will explain to our families about our daughter, whether she wants to or not.

After I take a badly needed shower, I dress and head down to the corner to pick up a six-pack of beer. Then I take a leisurely walk back to Andi’s, which is pretty crazy since it’s still freezing out. When I get there, her forehead is knotted with worry lines. It’s understandable because I’ve put a shit ton on her plate. Even though I’d like to feel sorry for her, I don’t. I’m generally not an asshole, but I’ll never get those two years back with Violet and it’s all because of Andi’s foolish actions.

“Mind if I put this in the fridge?” I ask.

“Go ahead.” I do and grab one. When I turn around, Andi is directly behind me, wringing her hands.

“Are you okay?” I ask.

“Violet has a fever. It’s not very high, but I tend to get a little overly concerned about this stuff. It comes with the occupation, I suppose.”

“When did she get sick?”

“When she woke up, she was a bit crabby, which is unlike her. That’s when I noticed.”

Not being very familiar with this, I’m not sure what to say or do. I know I don’t want to look like a moron and have Andi hold it against me, so I say, “I suppose you gave her Tylenol already.”

“Yes. She’s in her room lying down.”

“I’ll check on her.”

When I get to her room, I notice her eyes look slightly glassy. “Hey, Little One. What’s up?”

“Hot.”

I touch her forehead and she is warm. “Dada will kiss it and make it better, okay?”

“Okay.”

I wish it were that easy, because I don’t like seeing this little girl sick. “Do you want Dada to read to you?”

“Yeah.”

She must feel like crap because usually this kid would be flying around the room with her feet on fire. I pick out a book and read it to her. When I’m finished, she asks for another. Her round cheeks have bright spots of pink on them, and her face is flushed. I guess that’s what kids usually look like when they’re feverish.

“Violet, does your throat hurt?”

“Throat hurt.”

I wonder if she might have inflamed tonsils. I used to get that as a kid and had to have them removed. “How about watching a movie?”

Her head bobs, but slow and not the usual quick motion. I pick her up and carry her into the living room. Then I cover her up after I lay her on the couch and put in a movie.

I find Andi in the kitchen fixing dinner. “Andi, she said her throat hurts.”

“How did you ask her?”

“If her throat hurt.”

“She probably just repeated you.”

“You think this will pass?”

“If it doesn’t, I’ll take her in to see the doctor tomorrow.”

Leaning on the counter, I think about how to tell her this. I might as well just get it out. “I chartered us a flight to go to North Carolina.”

The weather has cleared and I was able to get one.

She stops stirring the pan of whatever it is she’s cooking. “You what?”

“I chartered a flight for the day after tomorrow. We need to take care of this, Andi.”

“What if Violet is sick?”

“Then I’ll cancel it. When I made the reservation, I was unaware.”

“I have—”

“I know, work. But you have vacation days, I’m sure.”

“Yes, but I have to get someone to fill in for me. It’s not that easy.”

I take a swig of my beer, then walk over to check on Violet. Let Andi figure her shit out. We’re going and that’s that.

“Dada.”

“Hmm?”

“Thirsty.”

I head to the kitchen for a sippy cup, but Andi is ready for me, holding one in her hand. I nod my thanks.

“Here you go.”

Violet grabs the cup and slurps it greedily. The Tylenol must be kicking in because her cheeks don’t look quite as pink. I press the back of my hand against her forehead, like my mother used to do to me, and find it’s still warm.

“Dada.” I look at Violet and the sippy cup is jabbed back in my hand.

“More?” I ask.

She shakes her head. “Hungy.”

That must be a good sign. “Okay. Mommy is making dinner now.”

When I check back with Andi, I see she’s on the phone. I’m not sure who she would be talking to, but I don’t want to eavesdrop, so I go back and sit with Violet. But she’s gotten off the couch and left the room. Soon she is back and dragging a scrapbook behind her.

“What do you have there, Little One?”

“Dada.”

“Dada?”

“Dada.”

I’m not sure why she keeps calling my name, but I help her pick up the large book and put her back on the couch. When she opens it up, it all becomes glaringly apparent. Now I know why Violet was dead set on me being her dad. This is a photo album filled with pictures of Andi, me, and our families. Violet flips through the pages, and every time she sees my picture, she says, “Dada.” I glance up and catch Andi staring at us.

“That was a way for me to introduce her to you,” Andi explains.

There are so many things I want to say, but I keep my mouth shut. Violet doesn’t need to hear any of them. I’m glad she saw the face of her father, but it still doesn’t make up for the two years I’ve lost.