He and Olivia werenât meant to be.
No matter how hard he tried, it was futile.
When Olivia woke up, it was already dark outside.
A childâs chatter drifted into the room.
AngelasLibrary
It was Leyla.
Had Dylan brought Leyla here?
She sat up, and then heard a knock.
A little girl burst in, showering her with kisses, calling her mom.
Olivia returned Leylaâs kisses, asking, âWho brought you over?â
Perched on the edge of the bed, Leyla kicked her feet, saying, âUncle Dylan picked me up.
â
Then she wrinkled her nose.
There were a few beads of sweat on it, evidence she had been having a good time.
Leaning against the door, Dylan grinned.
âI scooped her up while you were napping.
She had a blast.
â
He glanced at Olivia, adding softly, âAnd so did I.
â
Olivia locked eyes with him.
A tear welled up in her eye.
Dylan scooped Leyla up, smoothly slipping off her coat with a flick of his wrist.
He handled her like a natural, as if heâd been a dad forever.
Leyla Liked him too.
She shrugged off her coat, revealing her petite frame topped with a massive head of hair.
She snuggled into Dylanâs arms, looking all cute and cuddly.
Her little arms clung to him tightly.
Dylan leaned in, planting a kiss on her head before turning to Olivia.
âSheâs a real cutie,â he remarked.
Olivia sat up a bit, reaching out to pat Leylaâs chubby little bum.
Leyla let out a few stretches, yawned, and then her feet gently kicked against Dylanâs belly as she dozed off.
Dylan glanced at Olivia, asking, âDid she fall asleep just like that?â
Olivia nodded, saying, âKids can zonk out in seconds, you know!â
With careful hands, Olivia carried Leyla to bed, slipping off her shoes and socks and tucking her under the covers.