Top Dog

“Don’t be sorry. You were grieving. We all were. I’m just glad both sides of the family were still there for you, even in Brad’s absence,” he said.

“Me too. Living with my mother after everything that happened was hard. I felt like I was sort of floundering. She was the one who helped me get my finances in order. And Brad’s mother took Lily whenever I needed her to. She was a godsend, that one. I had my worst days away from Lily thanks to her. I didn't want Lily to see all that.”

“Because you’re a good mother, Cindy. And you were a good wife to Bradley. He was a lucky man. I want to make sure you girls are still being looked after without him.”

“Lily likes that you’re here,” I said.

“How’s the house treating you?” Paul asked.

“It’s good. My mother helped me pick it out. She found someone to take Brad’s military gear as well as his truck, and it paid off most of the house.”

“Brad’s life insurance through the military should’ve paid off all of it,” he said.

“I had some student loan debt from my business degree, and I put the rest into a college savings fund for Lily. I wanted it to feel like Brad was still providing for her. When she gets older, she can use that to bypass all the debt I dug myself into, and when she asks where it came from, I can say her father gave it to her.”

“That’s actually a really good idea. I never would’ve thought of that.”

“You’ve always been an immediate gratification kind of man. Bradley was the long-term planner out of the two of you,” I said with a grin.

“We all have our strengths and weaknesses,” he said with a soft chuckle.

“Thanks for stopping by, Paul. I really appreciate it, but I need to get Lily inside and fix her some lunch.”

“That’s fine,” he said. “Just wanted to come by and see how you were doing.”

“I appreciate it. Really. And stop by anytime. Lily loves seeing you.”

“I’m gonna go give her one last hug, and I’ll be out of your way.”

I watched him pick Lily up in his arms and throw her into the air. She giggled, gave him a great big hug, and then hopped back onto her bike as she left. I watched Paul’s car ride down the road as my neighbor’s door opened again, and the sound caught Lily’s attention, distracting her enough that she went crashing into the curb and tumbled onto the pavement.

“Lily!”

I made a mad dash from the porch and tore across the grass. She was crying and sniffling and holding her knee. I scooped her up into my arms as something warm dropped next to me, and I looked over and found my neighbor reaching out for my daughter.

“I have medical training. May I see it, sweet girl?”

The way he cooed at my daughter caught my attention. Tears were leaking from Lily’s eyes as his calloused hands picked up her leg. I held her hand as my eyes danced around her scraped and bloodied knee. He knocked some of the dirt and rocks off her scraped-up skin, his movements intentional and filled with purpose.

“Let me see if you can move it, okay?” he asked.

He slowly moved Lily’s leg, and she whimpered. She was gripping tightly onto my shirt as she sniffled hard. His hand was moving around her kneecap, trying to feel for something as blood continued to rise to the surface.

“It doesn’t seem dislocated or anything, but you need to get it cleaned up before it gets infected.”

His voice was deep. Full. He seemed like the kind of man who could whisper, and a room full of people could still hear him. He looked into my eyes before he slowly placed Lily’s leg back to the ground. Then, he got up and walked back to his house.

“Thank you,” I said.

He stopped and turned his head, and I watched as he nodded slightly.

I knew my gut about him had been right. I knew he wasn’t a cold-hearted man. I scooped Lily up in my arms and carried her back into the house, figuring a bath was probably the best course of action to get her cleaned up.

But I had a hard time looking away from my neighbor as he made his way back to his house.

If he wasn’t so distant, I’d consider him attractive.

CHAPTER 6