Even though he was exhausted, James was genuinely happy. The kids had finally started to accept him—well, Ethan still denied it out loud, but his actions spoke louder. The way he naturally clung to James these days was enough.
That night, after helping the kids wash up, James was quietly thankful they were pretty independent. They could bathe and wash their hair by themselves—otherwise, he would’ve been totally lost.
"James, I'm done! Can you blow-dry my hair?" Ella pulled over a little stool and plopped down in front of him, flipping on the TV to watch cartoons while casually handing over her damp hair like it was nothing.
James held the hair dryer in one hand and gathered Ella’s dripping hair in the other, standing there a little stiff—he didn’t even know where to start.
He
