head.
“You okay?” He paused a second. “Did Sergeant Basuto feed you peas again?”
That got her to lift her head. “The Sarge made me a unicorn pancake.”
“Is that right?”
She sniffed and nodded. “It looked like a goat.”
Aiden wanted to laugh, but it would hurt.
“I’m okay.” From her expression it was clear she didn’t believe him. “I can’t go to work for a while. I have to be on vacation until I feel better.”
She eyed him.
“Now tell me more about this unicorn pancake.” Aiden would also have to remember to ask Basuto about it, knowing he’d likely get a request to recreate it—only better—sometime in the very near future. He could do a rainbow pretty good. So far, animals had been disastrous.
“He tried to make a horse, but it just looked like a llama. That was what Mia said, anyway. And it was pink. Conroy didn’t want any because he doesn’t like colored food. Jess had four purple ones and we put whipped cream on them, until Frees stole the can and squirted it straight into his mouth. Conroy took it away from him and threw it in the trash.” She pressed her lips together.
“We can get more.”
Her eyes lit.
“So basically, everyone came over.” He muttered it, more than making a statement.
Apparently, nearly the entire police department had eaten breakfast in his kitchen. Probably while they had their morning briefing. Doing double duty to comfort his daughter while still doing their jobs.
In the chair on the side of the bed, he spotted a shift in Bridget’s fingers. He wanted her to wake up. There was so much to talk about.
This wasn’t how he’d imagined introducing the two of them, but he’d take it. Aiden wished he could simply tell Sydney that Bridget was her mother. That would freak her out, though. She would be confused, upset, and overwhelmed. And right now, she was already feeling all of those things.
It wouldn’t be fair to Bridget to wait too long, but he wanted to ease Sydney into the idea of a woman in their lives.
Because that was what Bridget would be, if he had anything to say about it.
“Taylor got a turtle and her sister wants to call it Ermagerd.” Her face scrunched up in a way that always made him want to chuckle. “But that’s just weird.”
“Weird isn’t always bad. Sometimes it’s just interesting because it’s different.”
“It’s still weird.”
Before Aiden could say anything, she continued, “Who’s that?”
He spotted a slight flex in Bridget’s fingers and wondered if she was awake, just bracing for what was about to happen. She was going to meet her daughter. And she would immediately have to face how he chose to play the situation.
“That’s Bridget. When I was in High School, she was my best friend.”
“I thought Jess was your best friend?”
“That’s true, but Jess has Ted.” He watched for the flex in Bridget’s fingers out of the corner of his eye. “I have Bridget.”
Simple enough Sydney would understand, despite the complexity of the situation.
“At least, I’m hoping she’ll stick around.”
Bridget stirred then. She sucked in a breath and blinked awake with far too much awareness for someone who just woke up. She’d been listening. Aiden didn’t blame her. This first meeting would be huge.
“Hey.”
Her gaze shifted to him.
“You were asleep a while. I was getting worried.”
She winced and touched her temple, where the bandage was tattered now. “Oof.”
Sydney climbed over his legs and sat on the edge of the bed on Bridget’s side. “Hi.” She’d never been shy, something he was massively grateful for right now. Help this go well, Lord. So much was riding on this first conversation. They had years ahead of them, but this would set the tone.
Bridget’s gaze drank in their daughter and she smiled. “Hi. I’m Bridget.”
“I’m Sydney, but everyone calls me Syd mostly.”
“My friends always shorten my name, too, and they end up calling me Bridge.” Aiden could see the tension in her. He could only imagine how hard this was for her. How nervous she was, and how desperately she wanted it to go well.
“Why would you want people to call you a bridge?”
Bridget’s expression lit with amusement, and she shrugged. “I like it.”
Sydney’s head tipped to one side. “Are you my dad’s girlfriend?”
“I used to be. A long time ago, before you were born.” Her voice hitched. She looked sheepish and completely adorable. “I want to be again, because I really like your dad. I have ever since I first met him. But I’m not his girlfriend yet.” She