I Forgot I Ever Loved You (Zoe and Hayden) novel Chapter 35

Hayden's dark, icy gaze swept over Colin.

"Did you lose your mind?"

Who gave him the nerve to give orders?

Lily was still looking at Hayden with obvious apprehension.

Feeling a knot of frustration in his chest, Hayden simply shoved the responsibility onto Colin.

"You do it then."

With that, he turned on his heel and walked away.

"..."

Hearing Colin's voice, the teacher finally let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.

The crushing pressure lifted the moment Hayden walked away.

She offered Colin a bright, welcoming smile.

"You must be Lily's dad! Is her mom busy today? You must be so busy at work, and you still made time to come. Do you work at Easton Group?"

Seeing Colin speak so casually with Hayden, the teacher's respect for him skyrocketed.

Colin laughed awkwardly. He would never dare claim to be Lily's father.

"It's a misunderstanding."

"Mr. Colin, did mommy not come? Can I please not ride in his car?"

Lily's voice was tiny, but the teacher heard it loud and clear.

Colin quickly tried to comfort her.

"It's okay, your dad doesn't bite."

The teacher's brain short-circuited entirely.

Lily was the daughter of the CEO of Easton Group?

Then that meant Ms. Lynd was—

Mrs. Thorne?

Colin scooped Lily up and carried her to the car. Hayden was sitting in the back seat, exactly where he always was.

From Lily's perspective, the man was an imposing, terrifying giant.

His face was shadowed and stormy, his sharp features radiating intimidation.

Lily was on the verge of tears.

Sniffling softly, she clung to Colin for dear life, refusing to move closer.

Hearing his low, soothing voice, Lily slowly peeled her eyes open.

The terrifying father she had imagined was nowhere to be found, and he clearly wasn't going to hit her.

When an upbeat kids' song started blasting through the million-dollar sound system of the luxury SUV, Lily's doll-like eyes sparkled with pure joy.

Seeing that the little girl wasn't quite as terrified of him anymore, the rigid tension in Hayden's face finally relaxed a bit.

She was completely engrossed in the music, even holding out her little hands to show him how to clap along to the beat.

"Daddy—"

In a tiny, fragile voice, she said the word out loud for the very first time.

It was a name she had only ever dared to whisper in the safety of her own heart.

None of the kids at preschool had ever seen her dad pick her up.

They all told her she didn't have a father.

But she did have a dad.

Hayden subconsciously hummed in response, turning his head to look at her.

"Can I call you that from now on?"