I might be putting up quite a few more chapters today, which should make you all happy. Thank you so much for all the reviews. I love reading what other people have to say. It doesn't take me very long to actually write the chapters, but since I write them in a notebook first, sometimes it takes me a little while to get them uploaded.

Suze's POV

March

"Damn it!" I exclaimed, as the tub of ice cream slipped right out of the bag. I stared at it, wondering if it was even worth it to pick the dang thing up. I mean, really. I just wanted to go curl up in my bed and cry my eyes out as I read some trashy romance novel. I had also wanted to eat a ton of ice cream, but did I really need the extra sugar? Maybe it was better if the tub stay on the floor. I knew that if I tried to pick up the ice cream, I'd just drop everything else. And I didn't need to deal with that, too. I was thinking about my miscarriage – again. I just couldn't get it out of my mind. Some days, like today, were worse than others. Some days, the emotional pain was almost too much.

"Soose!" a little voice cried out. Then a small, familiar body collided with my legs.

A smile pulled at my lips, of its own accord. "Hey, Catarina." It had been a while since I'd seen her, not since Ihad helped Josefina watch her. It was amazing how much better I felt, just seeing this little girl's smiling face. I was still sad, but I wasn't as sad as I had been before she'd run into my legs. "I didn't expect to see you here. What are you doing?"

She beamed up at me. Behind her, I could see Jesse approaching. Butterflies immediately filled my stomach. "Daddy and me live here now," she told me.

"Daddy and I," Jesse correctly absently.

She giggled, covering her mouth with her hands. "Oops. Daddy and I live in that one right there." She pointed to an apartment only a few doors down from my own.

I frowned. "How long have you been living there?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. Papa?" she asked, looking back at her father.

"About a month," Jesse answered, scooping his daughter into his arms. He kissed her cheek.

My frown deepened. "Holy crap. I have been extremely unobservant lately. You've been living here for an entire month, and I didn't notice?"

He smiled, making my heart pound. Why did he have to be so dang hot? Seriously. "You certainly aren't the only one. I didn't realize that you lived here, either. Now that I think about it, though, Josefina was hinting at something when she found out where I was moving to." He shook his head. "Would you like some help with your groceries?"

Catarina's eyes lit up. She bounced in her father's arms. "Ooh! I want to help Soose, Daddy! Can I help her, please?"

He chuckled. "If Susannah says that you can."

She turned those dark eyes to me. "Can I help you, Soose? Please? I'll put things exactly where you tell me to, I promise."

"Yeah, you can help," I said, unable to say no to that adorable face. And maybe I could distract myself for a little while. "I'd like that, Catarina."

Catarina jumped to the ground and picked up the ice cream carton, grinning proudly. Jesse took both bags from me, leaving my hands free to unlock my door. As the three of us began putting the groceries away – they insisted on doing more than just bringing in the food – Jesse asked me a question that took me completely by surprise.

"Why don't you have dinner with me and my daughter tonight?" He didn't even hesitate when he asked me, like it was no big deal.

I stared at him, shocked. "What?" I didn't think he was asking me on a date, since he would have his daughter there as well. But if he was asking me out, I wasn't sure if I was quite ready for that. I had a lot of baggage, for lack of a better word, that I was trying to get rid of.

"As newly discovered neighbors," he clarified. "Catarina has been begging me to allow her to play with you again. Besides, you look a little sad tonight, Susannah. I thought you might enjoy the company. You don't have to if you're uncomfortable with it."

"I –"

"Please, Soose?" Catarina begged. "I can show you all of my toys! And we can play together while Daddy cooks. He makes really good food, Soose."

How could I resist that adorable face? I sighed. "All right."

We finished putting away all of the groceries, and then I followed Jesse and Catarina to their apartment. It was very simply decorated, with quite a few bookcases. All full of books. It seemed that Jesse, at least, was an avid book reader.

It was a little awkward at first, until Catarina pulled me toward her room to show me all of her toys. While I was playing with her, Jesse began cooking. Whatever he was making smelled amazing. My mouth was watering by the time Catarina and I joined him for the meal.

We talked. Catarina told me about a dozen stories about her friends. Before I knew it, it was eight o'clock and I was helping the little girl get ready for bed. Once she was asleep, I planned on going back to my own apartment. Instead, I got to talking with Jesse. We talked about Maria and Paul. I didn't say anything about my miscarriage, but I ended up telling him about everything else with Paul. And he confided in me about Maria.

It was a...soothing evening. By the time I got into my bed that night, I felt better. I hadn't forgotten about my miscarriage and the sadness I'd felt earlier, but I wasn't sunk in a deep depression or anything. And I was a little touched that Jesse had confided in me.