All Chapters of The Single Dad Next Door Loves Me: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

The kitchen has started to feel like mine back home.Same cabinets if you looked at it from a certain angle. The plates weren't as fancy, just like mine from back home.I liked the design and layout Ethan picked for his kitchen, whenever I entered to cook a meal, I couldn't help but admire his work.Carpentry. I learnt was what he did for a living.“Nice.” I muttered to myself. His presence had a way of making me feel safe in an unconscious way that happens when you moved through a space often enough to stop thinking about it.I stood in the middle again, waiting for the inspiration of what to make.Noodles?Rice?Beans?What now?Feeling at home in his kitchen also meant I knew which drawer was stuck, which cabinet door squeaked if you didn't left it slightly.Which shelf held the spices Lily liked and the ones Ethan never touched.That afternoon, I was looking or paprika while Lily was table coloring, humming to herself, h t fert swinging lazily beneath the chair.The sun poured in

The house sounded different at night. Not quieter, no way. It was just softer.Lily had gone to bed earlier than usual, exhaustion finally winning after long days of puzzles and laughter.I liked how she was, how calm she was with me. I tucked her in, brushed her hair back the way she liked and waited until her breathing evened out before stepping away.Her father watched me in the hallway while he lingered, leaning against the wall like he was making sure she stayed asleep.“She’s fine, right?” He asked quietly.“Out like a light.” I whispered.He nodded, relief flickering across his face before he masked it.Downstairs, the living room was lit with a small lamp near the couch. Shadows stretched lazily across the floor, familiar and calm.Ethan poured two glasses of wine without asking, handing one to me as he sat across from me.“It'll calm your nerves.” He suggested.“Thanks.” I hesitated but accepted it at the end.The first sip warmed my chest– not enough to cloud my head but jus

Movie night has become a quiet tradition I joined without any of us naming it or anyone inviting me in it.It usually happened after Lily fell asleep– after the house softened into that late night still ess where even grief seemed to rest. Ethan would let Lily pick the movie earlier in the evening, something animated and loud– kids stuff, then later when she was tucked on and the lights were low, he would change it into something slower.Something old and something familiar.Maybe old dramas could be family comedies, things that didn't demand too much of his attention.Too much of mine either. A perfect movie that too off our stress.That night, it was snowing heavily, not violently– not the kind that howled against the windows and threatened to ice us all, no. Just gentle flakes that drifted past the glass like secrets that didn't need to be told out loud.I curled up on one end of the couch with a blanket tucked around my legs. Ethan sat on the other end, beer in hand, one arm resti

The weather broke three days later. It didn't announce itself dramatically. No miracle sunrise or birdsong. Just quiet. Stillness. When I woke up the next morning, the wind no longer screamed against the walls, and the snow outside the window had softened into something more gentle.I stood at the window for a long time, mug warming my hands, staring at the road.Clearer.Not clear. But passable.My chest tightened in a way I didn't expect. I should have felt relieved. Instead, a strange heaviness settled in my stomach, followed by something far unsettling– disappointment.“You could try today.” Ethan said from behind me.I startled slightly , turning to find him leaning against the doorway, coffee in hand. He looked tired. We both did. The last few days had been quiet in the wrong way– careful steps, avoided glances, conversation kept strictly to the weather and food.We talked about anything else but that night.“The plow came through early.” He continued. “Road should hold. At lea

The first thing that unsettled me about this icy town was how normal it was.No dramatic contrast to the people who lived here and no cinematic shift if anyone around here was to study us, but they were still cluster of buildings nestled into snow softened streets, smoke rising from chimneys, tire etched into slush like the placr had never paused for storms or solitude or people getting stuck in the wrong lives.Everything looked… normal.Ethan parked besides the hardware store and cut the engine. The sudden quiet felt louder than the road ever had.“You don't have to come in.” He said, glancing at me. I was already unbuckling my seatbelt so his words held no strength. “I want to.”He nodded, accepting it without comment, and stepped out into the cold. People greeted him immediately.A man exiting a store lifted a hand. “Didn't think you'd make it in this week.”“Barely did.” Ethan replied, “Road's still a mess.”“Toy need help clearing it, let me know.”Ehrna smiled. “I will.”It wa