Eva's words echo in my head.
I'm so afraid of how Bella's going to react to this.
I don't want her to think I'm trying to overstep my boundaries, no matter how much I want to cross the line from uncle to father, and from friendly brother-in-law to husband and lover.
I don't even bother hiding how nervous I am after we put Eva down for a nap.
I'm not even sure how to address today's development, so I wait for Bella to say something.
"You are her Daddy," she tells me. And I cannot even begin to express what her saying that means to me.
Because there is nothing more that I want, other than Bella, than to be that beautiful baby girl's daddy. Evan may have been her father…but he never loved her…never even wanted her.
I do…I always will.
Bella says to me everything that I'm thinking…maybe it's because it's because I feel something taking root and starting to grow between us no matter how much I push it aside, but I don't feel the need to be nervous or worry anymore. Especially after she tells me the one thing I truly needed to know…that as far as Eva is concerned, my role in her life is secure.
"Your brother may have been her father, but you are her Da Da. You're the one who holds her, and cares for her, and make sure she's okay. I mean…if you're not comfortable with it, I completely understand, but I don't think Uncle Edward is the right title for you…Daddy is."
I don't think I have ever loved her as much as I do in this moment, because although she may not realize it, she has given me the most wonderfully precious gift today, and if all I ever get to be for her in this life is daddy to her little girl, then it is more than enough for me.
