When the man finally arrived that evening, Elise’s guard went up immediately. He was tall, broad-shouldered, in a suit and coat, as if just back from a board meeting. He held himself awkwardly, eyes lowered. A business magnate with an ego?, Elise thought automatically, preparing herself for tension.
But when he looked up, her assumptions faltered. “Hey, sweetheart,” he said softly to Olivia. His voice was rough but kind. He stepped closer, uncertain but warm, and Elise saw Olivia’s face light up with something that looked like relief for the first time since her delivery.