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would like to see inside her new house," she encouraged, and Riley snapped awake like he'd been in a daze.
"Of course. You want to see inside, Hayley?" Riley said quickly.
Donna offered her a hand, and trustingly, Hayley took it before looking back briefly at Sophie with a small smile. Riley saw affection on his daughter's face, but Hayley made no move to hug Sophie.
"Bye, Aunt Sophie," Hayley said, and allowed Donna to lead her up to the porch.
Jack placed himself between front door and the aunt, and at somewhat of an impasse, Riley didn't know what to say. As soon as the door shut, her mask of icy indifference fell and her true emotion showed on her face. Riley saw sadness and concern, and eyes wet with tears, she clasped her hands together.
"I didn't want to do this," she said quickly, "but Lexie said she would be safer with you, and I'm not getting any younger." This was possibly the oddest situation Riley had ever found himself in, and the most uncomfortable.
"Safer?" he said as he focused on that single word amongst the rest.
"When Lexie was ill, her sister, Sarah, took over a lot of Hayley's care. They are close, were close," she added, correcting herself immediately. "It was always intended for Hayley to be with her father after Lexie was told her cancer was too aggressive—too advanced." She closed her eyes briefly, and Riley could hear the grief in the words. There was a strange tightness in his chest at the thought he might never have known he was a daddy. "There wasn't time for her to… There's a letter in there which explains it all."
"Thank you." It was all he could say. He didn't ask why the sister didn't have custody; he didn't question why Lexie wanted him to have Hayley. In fact, he was incapable of thinking past getting into the house to see his daughter. He just thanked whoever was listening for bringing Hayley to his door.
"There are bags in the cab," she said. "I wonder if someone could help me?" Jack stepped forward, then Riley, and in less than a minute, everything Riley knew of Hayley's entire life was sitting on the D's drive. "Would you see your way to covering the cost of the cab?" she asked, and Riley immediately pulled out his wallet and grabbed every single bill he had. He didn't bother counting. There was probably more than she needed. He would pay her everything for the single fact that she had cared enough to bring his daughter to him.
"How are you getting home?" he asked, concerned. "The cab is waiting," she said.
"I could organize a car."
"I have my arrangements made," she said simply. Squaring her shoulders, she looked Riley straight in the eyes. "Promise me that you will look after her."
"I will. I do."
"Lexie's sister… It isn't right for her to have Hayley, and Lexie knew that. Lexie always told me you were the one who should take the child."
"I'm her dad," Riley said unnecessarily.
"Lexie wasn't sure."
"Sure of what? Sure Riley was the dad?" Jack sounded confused.
"She wasn't sure it mattered if Riley was the dad or not. She didn't imagine Riley would want her—"
"What the hell?" Riley couldn't hold back the instant and visceral reaction. He might have been an idiot at twenty, but everyone grew up, so who the hell was Lexie to think something so plainly awful?
"Until…" Sophie waved a hand between Riley and Jack.
"Until?"
"It isn't my place to say Mr Hayes—"
"Campbell-Hayes," Riley interrupted, and Sophie inclined her head to acknowledge the mistake.
"She said you were settled in whatever you are settled in." She looked uncomfortable momentarily. "I don't know what's worse—Lexie's sister and her problems or you and your… unconventional… relationship." Riley narrowed his eyes and wondered how far Jack was going to let this go before he lost his temper. "Still," Sophie carried on, oblivious to what reaction she was engendering, "the lesser of two evils it remains."
* * * *
As the cab disappeared up the long drive, avoiding the potholes and cracks in the dry ground, Jack