Chapter 33

"Here," I said, placing Sloane's breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast on the table beside her bed. "How's the ankle?"

"It's throbbing like a son of a bitch," she groaned.

I squeezed her hand comfortingly. "I'll allow that language because you're in pain."

She nodded. "Good, because it fucking hurts today."

Laughter bubbled out of me and I leaned down to hug my little girl. "I'm sorry you're in pain, but at least you still have your spirit. Eat your breakfast and you can have some more pain meds. I'll be back in fifteen minutes. I need to go get ready."

As I went to my room, I realized that in all the commotion, I hadn't told Holly about Sloane's injury. She was not going to be happy I didn't call her right away.

Taking out my phone, I dialed Holly's number and waited as it rang. On the second ring, she picked up, sounding busy.

"Isadora, what's going on? It's too early for wine." She laughed at her own attempt at a joke.

"I'm sorry," I blurted out. "I should have called you yesterday, but things got crazy. Sloane had a little accident at the meet and broke her ankle."

"Are you serious?" she asked. "How do you break your ankle swimming? What the hell are they putting in that water?"

"No, she tripped." I paused. "After some other girl pushed her."

"Oh, hell no," Holly said. "Did you drown that bitch?"

I chuckled. "No, Sloane said the girl didn't mean to hurt her. It wasn't like a fight."

"Fine, so we won't kill her. We'll just break the girl's ankle too. Even Stevens."

"Holly, stop," I said, still laughing. "Sloane's in pain but she'll be fine. She gets her cast today."

"Why didn't you call me earlier?"

"It was hectic. We were at the ER for a while. Sloane had a rough night."

I quickly recounted everything that had happened.

"Graham sounds like a hero," she said.

"He was amazing. He was so calm and strong. He was so good to me and her." I sighed. "After fourteen years of doing this alone, it was nice to have someone at my side."

"Does that mean you two are back on?" she asked.

"No," I said with a groan. "I don't know. I fucked everything up. We're both taking today off to be with Sloane when she gets her cast, but I don't know if he's going to forgive me anytime soon. I'm hopeful but not too hopeful. I really hurt him. He was nice yesterday, but I think that was just for Sloane's benefit. We were talking outside when it happened. I offered to draw up a parenting plan."

"And is that what he wants?"

"We didn't get that far," I said. "I think we're on the right track, but it's going to be a long road back to where we were before I dropped the bombshell on him."

"But you'll get there," she said hopefully.

"I better get going. It's going to be fun getting Sloane out of the apartment. Maybe I'll call Graham and have him carry her again."

She chuckled. "That's a good excuse to see him. And don't let anyone sign that cast. I get to be the first one."

I laughed. "I'll make sure you get first dibs."

I quickly got ready and went to check on Sloane. She was struggling, so I helped her put on a pair of baggy shorts. I wasn't about to take off the boot and risk hurting her foot.

There was a buzz from downstairs. I assumed it was Michael letting me know he was waiting, which was odd. He never buzzed. But before I could get to the phone to reply, I heard someone at the door.

"Sit tight," I told Sloane. "You're going to have to use those crutches, but I don't want you to try and move without me."

She sat on the edge of her bed, clenching her teeth together. "Okay."

I went to answer the door, and to my surprise, it was Graham with a wheelchair. "What are you doing here?" I asked, then shook my head. "I mean, I can see what you're doing here. I just didn't expect you to show up."

He nodded and smiled. "I didn't want to risk her getting jostled around on crutches. I figured this was the way to go. Our caveman ancestors invented the wheel for us. We might as well use the damn things."

"Well, when you put it that way, yeah, it makes perfect sense," I said, surprised by Graham's thoughtfulness.

He maneuvered the wheelchair into Sloane's room and helped her into it gently. She let out a sigh of relief, grateful for the added support. Graham and I exchanged a look that held a mix of emotions—gratitude, tension, and a hint of unspoken apologies.

"Thanks for coming," Sloane said softly, looking up at Graham with a small smile.

Graham nodded, his expression softening. "Of course. I want to make sure you get downstairs safely for your appointment."

Sloane pointed straight ahead, commanding her father to get her moving. When he did, she laughed. "From now on, I want to be taken to all my appointments this way."

"Oh, is that right?" he asked with a goofy grin.

She smiled up at him. "Yes, walking is for losers."

I observed the interaction between them, hope stirring in my chest. I had no idea whether I could rebuild what I had broken with Graham, but he and Sloane were bonding quickly. They would be okay, even if Graham and I couldn't move forward together.

As we descended in the elevator, I stole glances at him, noticing the way he subtly leaned in to check on Sloane. The tension between us seemed to dissipate with each passing moment, replaced by a shared concern for Sloane's well-being. Or maybe he was just too distracted fussing over her to remember to hate me.

When we reached the ground floor, Graham expertly maneuvered the wheelchair toward the front doors. His Range Rover was parked right out front. I looked for Michael, feeling a little bad I was leaving him hanging.

"I told him I would be taking her," Graham said as he settled Sloane in the backseat.

"My driver?"

He nodded. "I hope that's okay."

I quickly smiled. "Of course. Yes. Thank you for this. The chair was a genius idea. And the Range Rover is perfect for her to stretch out in."

He opened the passenger door for me before getting into the driver's seat. I glanced back to check on Sloane, who was busy on her phone. We rode in silence with just a little tension in the air. The fact he showed up meant something.

At the doctor's office, Sloane received her cast with Graham and me standing by. It wasn't easy to see her in pain, but it was comforting to have Graham in the room. He talked to Sloane, distracting her and me.

"How long do I have to use the crutches?" Sloane asked grumpily.

"Six weeks," the doctor ordered, then looked at her. "At least for three but no walking on the cast unless you're hopping to the bathroom. You need to stay off the foot. It'll heal just fine if you let it."

"Fine," she sighed. "Thank you, doctor."

"Should we grab lunch?" Graham asked after the doctor left.

"I'd like that," I said. "Sloane, are you up for lunch?"

"Sure," she said, clearly not happy. "If I can't walk or swim for the next six weeks, I might as well pig out and get fat."

Graham looked confused. "Are those the only options?"

I nodded. "If you're a teenage girl, it makes perfect sense."

Graham took us to a cozy little café nearby. As we sat at a corner table, the atmosphere felt surprisingly calm despite the tension that had been present earlier. Sloane remained quiet for most of the lunch, poking at her salad with a despondent look on her face. So much for pigging out.

"Are you okay?" I asked her.

"This sucks," she sighed. "I'm going to lose so much strength."

"You can still hit the gym," Graham told her. "Keep up your upper body strength until you can get in the pool again."

"The gym?" Sloane asked.

"Sure, don't you do gym workouts now?"

"Not really," she said.

"If you'd like, I can show you some exercises," he offered. "You have a gym in your building, right?"

I nodded. "Fully loaded with anything you could ask for."

"We'll make some time," Graham told her. "Let's give your foot a couple of days for your ankle to feel better and then we'll get in the gym. It'll make you stronger and faster when you do get back in the pool."

Sloane smiled. "Cool."

"That's a great idea," I said. "The crutches should help too. After six weeks with those, your arms will be like granite."

Her smile widened and she almost looked excited. "Yeah, crutches will probably be a serious workout all their own. Between that and the gym, I'm gonna be ripped."

Sloane dug into her salad after that, finding her appetite again.

The last few days had been a whirlwind of emotions, but here we were, sharing a meal like a family. It was a strange feeling. Strange but good.

As we talked and laughed together, I couldn't help noticing the little things about father and daughter. Graham's smile, Sloane's laughter, and even the way they held their forks—it was all very similar. Despite not knowing each other before a few days ago, it felt like they had a natural rhythm together.

Watching them interact, I longed for the family dynamic I had missed out on for so long. Graham's offer to help Sloane with her workouts was a gesture that touched me deeply. It was clear he cared about her, and seeing them bond over something as simple as exercise made my heart ache with a bittersweet mix of emotions.

When they both reached for the bottle of ketchup at the same time, I couldn't help but laugh. "I guess we know where you get your love of ketchup from," I said to Sloane.

"You don't like ketchup?" Graham asked.

I wrinkled my nose. "I prefer ranch."

The ketchup was only one of many similarities I noted between the two of them. While Sloane resembled me in a lot of ways, there was no denying who her daddy was. She had his same quiet confidence. I tended to be a little on the bolder side. They both had a determined expression on their faces when they talked about swimming.

After lunch, Graham assisted Sloane back to his Rover. He drove us home and then helped Sloane into the wheelchair once again while I carried her crutches.

"Where did you get a wheelchair?" I asked him.

"Pharmacy," he said, shrugging.

"You just went and bought a wheelchair?"

"Well, I didn't want to rent one," he replied. "Who knows whose crusty butt sat on it last?"

Sloane made a disgusted face. "Eww! That's so gross."

"Exactly," Graham said. "That's why I got you a brand new one."

I laughed. "I'm just surprised you thought of the chair at all."

"Oh, right. Well, I broke my leg when I was thirteen. It sucked. And my armpits got so sore using crutches. I thought I would save her the trouble, at least starting out."

"Very thoughtful, thank you."

He helped her onto the couch while I got pillows situated under her foot to keep it elevated. I could feel Graham's hesitation. "Would you like to stay and watch some of Sloane's swimming videos?" I offered.

His face lit up. "Sure, I'd like that."

"You can tell me what I did wrong," Sloane said with a laugh.

"I watched you yesterday," Graham said. "You've got natural talent."

As we settled in to watch Sloane's swimming videos, I saw a different side of Graham. His eyes sparkled with pride as he watched his daughter glide effortlessly through the water, her movements strong and graceful.

"I'm going to leave you two swimmers to chat while I take care of a few things," I said, not wanting to intrude on their father-daughter time.

I went into the kitchen and sat at the breakfast bar with my laptop. I could hear them talking about everything from school to what colleges Sloane was considering. I stayed busy, doing my grocery order and paying a few bills. I managed to do a little work as well.

Graham stayed all afternoon until Sloane dozed off on the couch. "I'm going to go," he said quietly. "Thanks for letting me hang out."

"You're welcome. Thanks for being here today and taking her to the doctor. The chair was a good idea."

"I'll leave it here," he said. "Is she going to school tomorrow?"

"I'll see how she feels in the morning."

He nodded and looked at me like he wanted to say something more. "I'll be in the office tomorrow. If you need to stay home with her, just let me know."

"Thank you."

I walked him to the door, watching him step into the elevator before pulling the blanket over Sloane. I was glad Graham seemed to be over his anger toward me. He wasn't warm and fuzzy, but at least he was able to look at me. Having him around today had been nice. It felt like we were a real family. Sloane loved it as well.

While I was making dinner, I heard a knock, followed by the front door opening. It was Holly. She walked in carrying flowers and a bag filled with several cartons of ice cream. I listened from the kitchen as Holly doted on Sloane before busting out a black marker. She made a big deal of signing her name in giant letters.

We had dinner before helping Sloane to bed.

"So?" Holly whispered to make sure Sloane couldn't hear. "Are you guys all cool again?"

I smiled. "I don't know, but I think he's less angry with me."

She grinned. "I knew he would come around."

"Only time will tell, but it does seem promising," I said. "Even if he and I don't work out, I know we'll be okay. The three of us. We can parent our daughter without wanting to kill each other."

"That's definitely something," she said.