Chapter 418:
Daphne
I cannot believe I am a parent.
Me.
I do not even know if I am doing a good job. I am so scared of making a mistake. I do not know what makes a good parent—what combination of love and discipline, freedom and guidance, presence and space.
I just hope that if I am making mistakes, they will not be so bad.
I never thought I would ever love someone else as much as I love my wife. But I guess I was wrong.
Alira coos in my arms.
I pat her back gently and rhythmically as I walk along the beach. The sand is warm beneath my bare feet. The waves kiss the shore. The sun is setting, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink and gold.
Lorelei is out for a swim. I see her tail in the distance—a flash of dark blue against the deep water.
I keep walking.
I see a seashell sparkling in the wet sand. I pick it up—a force of habit. I have spent so much time with Lorelei that I have absorbed her mannerisms. She never lets a seashell go unattended. Now, neither do I.
