"What took you so long, Dad?" Tihana asked the moment she pulled her face back from Edward's shoulder.
She was still in his arms, though now she wore a little pout, her brows drawn together as if she had been seriously wronged.
"I do not think I took that long," Edward replied, lowering her carefully until her feet touched the floor.
Then he looked at her properly.
Each time he saw Tihana, it seemed that she had changed. She was growing quickly now; the little girl he remembered had begun to disappear beneath the shape of someone entering her early teenage years. There was more height in her, more confidence in the way she stood, and far more expression in her face than he was prepared to admit.
"It has been a month since you came to see us," she said.
"Honey has been very busy," Layla said from behind him.
She stepped into the entrance hall and lightly poked Tihana's forehead with one finger.
"Layla!"
