I leaned over her and kissed her cheek, which was still burning up with fever. “I have a bear you can hold. Would you like that?” She looked up at me with her big, red-rimmed eyes, tears clinging to her long, dark lashes, and nodded. “I’ll go get it. Be right back.”

I climbed out of bed, avoiding Blaire’s curious eyes, and went into my closet. I opened the box. Our box, as I’d come to think of it over the years. I pulled out Wish Bear with the engagement ring on a faded ribbon around his neck and hid him behind some blankets on the top shelf. Then I grabbed Tenderheart and took him to my bed.

“Here, baby girl.”

Carrie hugged the bear against her stomach and leaned her chin on his head. “He’s soft. I love him. Thank you, Daddy.”

“You’re welcome, sweet pea,” I said, kissing the back of her head. I dodged Blaire’s eyes because I didn’t want her to know. Or maybe I did. Hell, I wasn’t sure what I wanted right then because my emotions were all over the goddamn place.

We lay with our little girl for over an hour as she finally slept soundly. Blaire reached for the thermometer and slid it into Carrie’s armpit. I finally met her eye, and she smiled broadly when she checked it. “Much better,” she murmured quietly, but I could already tell that Carrie’s body was significantly cooler than it had been a couple of hours ago.

I pulled a stray curl away from Carrie’s face and absently wrapped it around my finger as Blaire watched me. “I can’t believe you had a Care Bear in your closet, Ax.”

“I may not have a hairdryer or children’s Advil, but at least I was prepared for any bear-related emergencies,” I joked quietly.

“Tenderheart was always my favorite because—you probably don’t remember this—you gave me a bear just like this when—” Her words stopped short, and I saw her hand on the bear’s leg. In the soft light from the lamp, I saw a furrow appear between her eyes as her face morphed from confusion to surprise when the realization dawned. “Axel…”

39. Blaire

Blaire

Seriously, why did Ax have a Care Bear in his closet? Had he bought it for Carrie as a surprise? No, I didn’t think this bear was new. I ran my hands over him and… something stiff was on the back of his leg. Was that… wax?

Then it struck me like a ton of bricks. Oh. My. God. He couldn’t have…

“Axel,” I whispered. “Was this my bear?”

He gave me a small, shy smile. “Yes.”

“You… you kept it all this time?” I asked, raising up on my elbow, and he did the same so that we were face-to-face.