Brandon

I had been up all night on the phone going between Zach and the police. I had Zach looking into what had happened at Lyra's apartment and seeing if it was in any way connected with the paparazzi incident and the police were updating me on their investigation.

They agreed with me that it was a personal attack on Lyra. There were tons of other buildings on the street and her apartment and The Sweet Spot were the only ones targeted. And nothing had been taken, including the money in the cash register at The Sweet Spot. That's what robbers would've gone to first if they were looking for valuables. This was something different.

The police were still working on permits for security footage, but Zach being Zach had them in less than an hour. They showed someone dressed in all black with a black hood walking into Lyra's apartment and then into The Sweet Spot the night before. We couldn't see the person's face, but they had a slim build and were about 5'8" which led Zach to believe it had been a woman. So that narrowed the search, but not by much. And of course, there were no finger prints in Lyra's apartment and it would've been pointless looking at the shop because so many people are in there daily, the police wouldn't be able to tell who was a customer and who had done this.

All in all, I was stressed, tired, and running completely on caffeine. But more than that, I was worried about Lyra. Something in her broke yesterday and it wasn't in her apartment. It was in the shop.

I could see the pain in her eyes when she saw the shop and then she dropped to the ground. I called out to her but she showed no signs of hearing me so I did the only thing I could think of and knelt down behind her, wrapping my arms around her. I needed her to know I was there for her, that she wasn't alone.

And then the police came. I wanted to wait until morning to answer questions, but the police wouldn't allow that. They did however keep it short so I could bring Lyra home.

She was so tired, she fell right asleep and didn't notice it when I carried her upstairs and tucked her into bed.

Now, at ten in the morning, she is still asleep and Macie insisted on making her breakfast. I would've done it regardless, but Macie is the sass queen so she got to it first.

"Is it ready yet Daddy?" Macie asked me for the third time.

I was flipping the pancakes she'd made. It was the box kind, but she poured the added ingredients and mixed it herself. I'm just doing the part with the stove. Apparently that's all I'm good for.

"Almost Mace."

I'd messed up the first two pancakes and Macie was getting ready to give up on me. She was standing on her stool shaking her head in disappointment. I couldn't mess this one up.

It got time to flip and I crossed my fingers out of Macie's sight. Sliding the spatula under the pancake, I said a silent prayer and flipped it.

"Yes!" I shouted. I flipped it perfectly. Well, almost. But a hell of a lot better than the last two and this one won't have to be thrown away.

Macie clapped her hands as I transferred the now cooked pancake to a plate. "I knew you could do it Daddy!"

"Mhm."

Macie giggled and ate the pancake. She wanted to save the better looking ones for Lyra.

I also ate a pancake and then made a stack for Lyra with a side of bacon and eggs. It was getting close to eleven and since Lyra still wasn't down here, I decided to bring the food to her.

Macie marched ahead of me while I held the food and knocked on Lyra's door. Through the wood we heard a soft, "come in," so Macie opened the door and went inside.

Lyra was sitting on the bed looking at a piece of paper.

"What's that?" I asked and Lyra's head snapped up.

"Nothing!"

Lyra shoved the paper away quickly. I didn't quite believe her, but I wasn't going to push so instead I set the plate down on the nightstand.

"We made you breakfast," Macie announced.

"Aw, thank you," Lyra said and gave Macie a hug. I loved seeing this. Macie and Lyra's relationship made me so happy. I'd always hoped Claire would be the mother figure in Macie's life, but that was a tricky situation that I was still hoping to correct, so seeing Macie have that relationship with Lyra was good. Macie needed a mother figure in her life and since meeting Lyra, her life has exponentially improved.

I don't know how to explain it exactly, but Macie is just more. More happy, more well behaved, more bright, more lively. She was never lacking in those areas, but everything has increased since meeting Lyra and I have a feeling it's the same for her too. It's part of the reason I haven't started looking for a new babysitter. I don't think I'll ever find someone better suited for the role than Lyra so until she asks me to look for a replacement, I'm not going to.

I put my attention back on Lyra who was eating the breakfast Macie made and Macie who was taking little bites of said breakfast. I rolled my eyes at her, but didn't stop her. I figured Lyra was fine with it.

"Hey Macie," I said once the girls were done eating, "why don't you go get started coloring."

I'd told her I'd color with her after breakfast, but I wanted to talk with Lyra first.

"Ok!"

Macie hopped off the bed and skipped out of the room. Once I was sure she was gone, I turned my attention back to Lyra.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

"Fine, I guess."

Lyra wasn't looking at me so I knelt beside the bed, forcing her to. I needed to see her eyes.

"The police are working hard on the investigation and once we are cleared, I'll have my guys get to work repairing your apartment and the shop."

Lyra nodded, still not looking me in the eyes.

"Are you sure you're ok?"

Lyra nodded, but a tear slipped from her eye, betraying her.

I swiped it away and let my hand cup her cheek.

"It was all I had," Lyra whispered.

She sounded so broken, my heart nearly split in two.

"No. You have me and Macie. You'll always have us. No matter what happens, you'll always have us."

"Promise?" Lyra asked with so much vulnerability in her voice.

"Promise."

Lyra leaned in and hugged me. It was the first time she'd ever initiated a hug between us, I realized. I wrapped my arms around her and held her until she was ready to pull back.

She had a few tears on her face that I quickly wiped away.

"Do you want to come color with me and Macie?" I asked. I didn't want to leave her alone and I had a feeling that she needed some distraction.

"Yeah."

I smiled and offered Lyra my hand. She took it and we walked downstairs together.