my dad being here, I didn’t feel like Dunsmuir held anything for me anymore.”
“He’s missed you guys. He probably won’t say it, but the times I’ve been with him, all he ever talked about was you and Luna. Felt like I knew her before I ever even met her.”
She smiles, but her eyes swim with emotion. “I feel bad for being gone all those years. But when I got pregnant…” She pauses, quickly darting her gaze to mine. “My dad and I didn’t have the best relationship. It was tough for him to come to terms with. There was a rift, and when push came to shove, my mom was there when he wasn’t. I guess over the years when our relationship dwindled it was easy to put him in this box as the man who didn’t step up to the plate. It was tough and unfair of me. It wasn’t until maybe Luna’s second birthday that we started doing things as a family again. It’s still tough, but Luna…she loves him.”
“He loves her, too. And I’m not blaming you for the decisions you made. Families are tough. Mine isn’t perfect either.”
“Is this where you expect me to believe your family was worse off than mine?” she asks, raising a single brow.
I chuckle. “No. Definitely not. I guess a part of me just understands you a bit better now. I understand why he was here, and you guys were there. I always wondered, but I never wanted to ask him. Felt like I would be pouring salt into his invisible wound.”
“What made you start hanging out with my dad, anyway? When did that happen exactly?”
“Maybe about a year after your mom left? It sort of happened. Small projects here, offering each other beers or takeout there, and then we eventually made it a weekly thing. He’d always been good friends with my dad back when he’d bring your guys’ cars to the garage for maintenance, so we decided to invite him over and treat him like family.”
Her eyes grow misty. “I know I said this already, but thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. Anyone would’ve done it.”
She shakes her head. “That’s not true, and you know it.”
A beat passes between us, and I have the urge to take her face in my hands and kiss her. Taste her lips and let my hands disappear into those long strands. But the sound of her phone chiming is our only saving grace. She quickly pulls it out of her purse, glancing at the screen.
“Everything okay?”
“Oh, yeah.” She waves me off. “My mom was just letting me know Luna fell asleep with my dad. I’ll just carry her into bed with me once I get home.”
“How old is Luna?”
She smiles at the mention of her daughter. I don’t even think she realizes she’s doing it. It’s just something that comes naturally when discussing Luna, I assume. “She’s five going on twenty-five. I swear, that little girl is something else. She’ll be six in a few days, actually.”
A chuckle bursts past my lips. “Oh, I can only imagine. She’s…sassy. I find I quite like it.”
Selene rolls her eyes. “Yeah, because you don’t have to parent her.” As she says it, she suddenly deflates, a guilty look passing over her features.
“And her dad? Is he still in her life?”
Her brows tug down, slanting over her face, causing shadows. “Why?”
“Guess I’m just trying to figure out if he’s my competition.”
Selene looks away again, studiously avoiding my gaze. “There’s no competition. Not with him and this…this version of you.”
“This version of me?”
“Forget it.”
“Have you…dated since him?”
She pulls a face. “God, no. Well, there was one guy I dated about a year and a half after she was born, but there was no spark. I felt like I was trying to make something work just to say I did it, you know? I blame Julia. She was the one who suggested I get out and date to help me move on. To help get my life back on track.”
At the mention of Julia’s name, it’s like summoning over the beast. She sashays toward us.
“You guys down for pool? You two against Griffin and me?”
“I’m not very good. I don’t even know how to play.”
Julia smiles, patting her on the shoulder. “Oh, I know. That’s why I’m assigning you to play. You’ll help me look nice and sporty in front of Griffin. Now c’mon, hurry up.”
I let out a chuckle when Julia is out of earshot. “She’s perfect for Griffin.”