Chapter 54
(Erik's POV)
Later that evening on the day that I had returned home with Chrissy, she sat at the kitchen table coloring a Ferris wheel and humming a childish tune that I recognized from some time ago.
"Did you enjoy your day with Gustave?" Rachel asked sweetly as she stirred something in a pot on the stove.
Chrissy nodded. "I like him. He's nice."
"Would you like to, perhaps, convene with him again?"
"Small words, Erik," Rachel reminded me. "She's just a child."
I sighed. Chrissy was a smart girl for her age. Sometimes I had to remember that she didn't have an extended vocabulary yet. "Would you like to spend another day with him, Chrissy?"
She nodded and smiled. "He's really nice to me, and Miss Erin is nice to me. I like them a lot."
I nodded and tried my best to smile back at her. "That's good." I had to admit that it hurt a little. I wanted Chrissy to be with her father, but I also wanted to hold on to her a little longer. I hadn't raised my child from the beginning. In a way, I supposed that this made up for it, and I didn't want it to end.
"Daddy?" Chrissy asked as she swung her legs in her chair.
"Yes, love?"
"Is Mr. Yousefi in our family?"
"What do you mean, love?"
"I mean, he has the same last name as us. Does that mean he's part of our family?"
I nodded slowly.
"Then why do I have to call him Mr. Yousefi?"
I could feel my hands clench as I looked over her innocent little face. Her question was honestly entirely valid. I just didn't know if I could bring myself to say it. I gulped. "You don't have to call him Mr. Yousefi if you don't want to."
"Then what do I call him? Cousin?"
I looked to Rachel who looked over me and nodded slowly. "Tell her, Erik," she muttered.
"It just seems so soon," I said back.
"She deserves to know."
I sighed and looked back at my granddaughter. "Chrissy," I said shakily and slowly, "I am not your daddy." She looked at me with a confused expression as I continued. "I am not your daddy, and Rachel is not your mommy. Mr. Yousefi is your Daddy."
She looked between the both of us as little tears pricked her eyes. "Then where is my mommy? Is Miss Erin my mommy?"
"No, sweetie," Rachel said bending down and rubbing Chrissy's back in a comforting way. "Your mommy passed away before she could meet you, but she's always looking out for you."
"Then who are you?" she asked looking back at me.
"I'm your granddaddy," I said gently taking her little hand, "and I still love you very, very much. Your mommy's death was just a little too much for your daddy, so he asked us to take care of you for a little while."
"Is Daddy better now?" she asked, a couple of tears spilling down her rosy cheeks.
I nodded. "He is, and he very much wants his little girl back."
She pulled her hands out from under mine and laid them in her lap. The poor little thing sniffled and sobbed. I wished more than anything that I knew what she was thinking. For a four year old child, Chrissy was very smart, so I could never tell if she really understood or not. "Are you alright, darling?" I asked softly.
"I want my daddy," she sobbed.
Rachel bent down and wiped some of the tears from Chrissy's cheeks. "Well, your granddaddy and I promised to keep you, and…"
"No!" Chrissy yelled. "I want my daddy!"
She jumped down from the chair and took off running. We heard the front door slam, and I shot out of my seat and ran after her, Rachel hot on my heels. Chrissy ran straight past people, her tiny body allowing her to weave through the people as Rachel and I were forced to shove through. Chrissy was way ahead of us. I had lost sight of her. It wasn't until we had reached Gustave's home that I saw her again. She was frantically banging her little fists on his door until he opened it, and she latched on to him, hugging his knees tightly. I stopped at the bottom step and just stared at them. I was heaving for breath, and my heart was racing.
"Daddy," I heard Chrissy sob.
Gustave's head jerked down at her. He pried her from his legs and got down on his knees so he could see her face. He brushed his thumbs over her little cheeks as he looked at her. "Why on earth are you crying, little angel?" he said softly.
Chrissy threw her arms around him. "Daddy," I heard her sob again.
He softly wrapped his arms around her, and his eyes met mine. I took my hat off. "I had to tell her," I sighed as I looked over them both.
Gustave closed his eyes and kissed his little girl's head as he rocked her back and forth in his arms. "It's okay," he said softly. "Daddy's here. Daddy's got you."
He scooped his sobbing child up and took her inside. Erin came out a moment later and met me at the bottom of the steps. "She really wants to stay here," Erin muttered softly to Rachel and myself. "Gustave really has changed his ways. Please let her stay here with her father. I know it's going to be hard on you, but you're welcome here anytime I assure you. Gustave loves her, and it's time that Chrissy be with her real dad don't you think? She needs him right now."
A part of me was angry. After all, I had raised Chrissy up until that point, but another part of me said that Erin was right even if I didn't want to admit it. "It just seems so soon, and Gustave really hasn't proven anything to me yet."
A flash of anger spread across Erin's face, but she quickly dismissed it. "Gustave is a fine man," she said sternly. "You raised him to be a gentleman. Everyone makes mistakes, but that's all over now. Saying you don't trust him is like saying you don't trust yourself because you're the one who brought him up."
"He is his own person!" I snapped back. "And he's been through some pretty nasty circumstances, and by god, I will not let that little girl go through the same things."
"And so you think keeping her from her father is the right thing to do?" She shook her head. "Please give him a chance. Do you really think he would intentionally hurt his own daughter? Besides, I'll be there too. She's in good hands."
"I still am not certain."
"Well, that's not your place to decide." Erin stood as tall as she could, even though that wasn't very tall at all. "This is where she is meant to be. This is where she wants to be. I'm an orphan. I know what wishing for your family is like, and I'll be damned if she doesn't get to be with her father. I don't care if you're her family or not."
"You aren't part of this family! I don't have to consider your opinion!" I reminded her.
"Yes, you do." I heard a stern voice say from the door. I looked up and saw my son come down the stairs. He put his hands on Erin's shoulders and looked over me. "I wouldn't have cleaned myself up if it were not for her. I wouldn't have had a chance with my daughter if it weren't for her." He squeezed her shoulders. "Go inside with Chrissy. I'll be there in a minute."
She shot me a look and did as he said.
"Now, you listen to me," Gustave said, his face right in mine. "I have done what you've said my entire life. I hardly ever missed a curfew. I didn't go where I wasn't supposed to. I tried my best to stay out of trouble. I have always obeyed you, Papa. You taught me to do the right thing. You knew what I needed because I was your son. Chrissy is my daughter, and I know what's best for her, and right now, she needs me. I'm going to raise her right in the home she belongs in, and for once, I don't care what you think about it. She is my child, my only child, and she is staying with me. End of story."
With that, he turned around and marched back in the house. I wanted to scream. I wanted to throw something and break it. If I was honest to myself, the only reasons I had for keeping Chrissy were entirely selfish. Rachel grabbed my twitching hand and stroked it comfortingly. I jerked back however and looked at the ground.
"If you need me," I muttered, "I'll be in my office. I want to be alone for a little while."
