Dylan watched the little furrow between her brows deepen. He didn't say anything else. Instead, he quietly pushed his chair back, stood up, and reached out to help her down from her high chair.
Eira neither resisted nor responded to his earlier words. She simply let him lift her into his arms before gently setting her down on the floor.
The moment her feet touched the ground, she looked up at her father and narrowed her eyes ever so slightly.
For a long second, she didn't say anything. She simply kept her eyes fixed on him, staring at him in silence.
Dylan didn't look away either. He met her gaze calmly, giving her all the time she needed to organize whatever she wanted to say.
And then—
"Don't scare me all the time," she said with a little pout, her voice soft yet carrying unmistakable determination. "Mama already loves Eira. When someone loves you, they don't leave you. Mama won't leave Eira either."
She no longer sounded as timid as before.
