Charlie hadn’t thought of it that way. “Dad? Are you happy?”
Remington had to think about it. “You make me happy. So, yes.”
“What if I never walk again?”
“You are still you. Nothing will ever change my love for you. And, if you never walk again, we’ll figure it out. You’ll still have an awesome life. I’ll make sure of it.”
“Sky said if I focus on my health, then walking again is possible, but I have my doubts, and I don’t want to let anybody down.”
Remington tucked Charlie’s hair behind her ear. “There is nothing you can do that will let me down. It seems like you and Sky have become really close?”
“Yeah. I like her. I like her a lot. You should ask her out. Maybe she can make you smile more. After you divorced mom, you stopped smiling.” Remington hadn’t realized it and certainly didn’t think Charlie would have noticed.
“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “Not that I’m contemplating dating anytime soon, but she’s pretty focused on her career right now.” If he asked her for sex, she would probably say yes. A date? He wasn’t so sure. “Do you think she would say yes?”
“Absolutely! You might be flawed, but you’re a catch.”
Remington thought about his daughter’s words. There she was lying in bed recovering from a horrible accident, and yet she was thinking about him. “I meant it when I said my only concern right now is you. Speaking of—” He was careful with his words. “We haven’t really talked about the accident. Charlie? What happened that night?”
The sparkle in her eyes dimmed. “I-I don’t remember.” She made a big show of her yawn. “I’m so tired daddy.”
Something told him that that wasn’t true. He would be patient for now, but eventually, Remington wanted the truth.
Chapter 17
“Knock-knock.” Yolanda stuck her head inside the door. “Can I come in?”
Charlie woke up and her smile grew wide. “Ohmygosh! What are you doing here?”
She walked through the door. “Not only is it me, but I also brought a friend.” Yolanda pulled Charlie’s favorite doll from behind her back and handed it to her.
“La-La!” Charlie reached for her and held the doll as if she were a delicate, priceless artifact.
“Yep.” Yolanda smiled broadly. “She missed you, and so did I.”
“How did you get here?”
“Someone once told me that you’d be surprised what a hundred dollars could convince people to do.” Yolanda giggled.
“You paid a hundred dollars to come see me! That’s a lot of money.”
“Girl, are you crazy? I took the bus.” Yolanda full-on laughed and embraced Charlie in a hug. “Oh, I’m sorry. Am I holding you too tightly?”
Charlie’s eyes filled up with tears. “I’m fine. My legs don’t work, but if I’m honest, I’ve never been better.”
“Oh.”
Charlie held La-La close to her chest. “Don’t be sad. My dad is here, and now you, and La-La. For the first time in a long time, I think things are looking up.”
“Your dad?”
“Yes. Can you believe it? He came as soon as he heard and hasn’t really left my side—well except to take a shower and change clothes. I think he’s worked out at the hospital gym. For the most part, we’ve been talking through our issues, and when this is over, I’m going to live with him.” Her face beamed.
Yolanda sat down in shock. “Whoa. That’s fantastic!” She looked on sadly. “Don’t get me wrong but you going to live with your dad means we won’t be staying in the same house anymore. That’s a bummer, but I’m happy for you. I’ll miss you.”
Charlie’s smile brightened even more. “No, you won’t because I’m going to ask if he’ll bring your mother on as one of his staff members.” Charlie looked down at the lower half of her body. “I’ll need a lot of help.”
“If you could pull that off, it would be amazing. But, aren’t you going to miss your mom? I mean, I know you too have your differences but—she’s your mom.”
Charlie’s lips tightened. Her face hardened. “No. I won’t miss her.”
Cautiously, Yolanda asked, “What they’re saying happened to you in the paper is it true? You didn’t really fall off that horse, did you? What did Kane do?”
Before Charlie could answer, her father returned fresh from a shower. “Yolanda?”
“Yep. It’s me.”
“Look at how you’ve grown since the last time I saw you. It’s really good to see you.”
“You too, Mr. Kneeland.”
He glanced around. “Where’s your mother? I haven’t seen Sophia in a while either.”
She answered nervously. “She’s not here, Mr. Kneeland.”
“Where is she?” Remington used the towel hanging around his neck to finish drying his hair as he eyed her suspiciously.
“She’s—um—at home.”
“So, how did you get here this time of night?”
“The bus.”
“You took the bus from the estate to the city? Your mother wouldn’t allow that. It’s too dangerous. Okay, here’s what we are going to do. Visit with Charlie for a few more minutes since I’ve got a couple of calls to make. Then grab your stuff and I’ll take you home.”
*****
Remington pulled through a set of familiar gates, a place he had called home for almost ten years. It was the first time he
