Max felt his pulse jump. He wanted the same thing, but how could he ever say something like that to his own daughter? It was a sweet thing to imagine, but nothing they could ever take seriously. The next thing he did just happened by instinct, as if his hands were moving independently of his mind. He put a finger under his daughter's chin and lifted her face so they were looking into each other's eyes from a very few inches apart. He'd never seen such a beautiful pair of eyes.

He then rubbed the pad of his thumb across his daughter's supple lips. "As long as I'm alive," he...