Page 115 of Forfeits

Annie’s lips pressed together. “I watched you marry my son. I watched you hold his newborn child in your arms. I never said anything, made any kind of protest or complaint. I figured if you were what Daniel wanted, then I would support him. But…now that he’s gone…”

“Now that he’s gone, what? You only care about Lucy?” I stared at Annie. “Did you ever actually like me, Annie? Or did you only pretend, for Daniel’s sake?”

For the first time, Annie looked embarrassed and caught out.

“Fletcher, I… I only think that Lucy would be better off with us. I think that, in the circumstances, Daniel would feel that way, too.”

Brian stepped forward. “Annie, you have no idea what Daniel would think about any of this, and the only reason Fletcher has a new boyfriend is because his husband, our son, died.”

Well, at least one of them was reasonable.

“Exactly,” Annie said, folding her arms over her chest. “Lucy is all we have left of Daniel. Can you blame us for wanting to spend more time with her?”

“No, that’s the only part of this I understand. Because Lucy is all I have left of Daniel, too. But I’m pretty sure—no, I’m absolutely positive—that Daniel wouldn’t want us to fight over her.”

“No, he wouldn’t,” Annie said.

“Good. I’m glad we agree on that, at least.”

“What I want,” Annie said softly, “is for you to really think about what you’re doing, Fletcher. Starting a new relationship, gallivanting all over the city, leaving your daughter with questionable young men…”

“You mean Robin?” I asked.

“Yes. Robin. The boy in the makeup who was here the other day.”

“For one thing, Robin is in his early twenties. For another thing, he’s a kind and responsible person. He’s also funny and charming, and Lucy loves him.”

“Lucy is twelve years old.”

“This discussion is going nowhere,” Brian said.

“I have a right to my personal time, Annie. If I want to go out with Aiden, or anyone else for that matter, it’s none of your business.”

“Not when you’re a single parent, you don’t,” Annie said. “Lucy and Lucy’s needs should be your absolute priority, Fletcher. Take it from someone who’s raised a child once already.”

Oh, she was going to use that one on me.

“Lucy’s needs are my priority. But my needs are important, too,” I said. “And I’m perfectly happy to arrange a more frequent schedule if you want to see Lucy more often.”

“Hmph,” Annie muttered.

There was an awkward silence as we sat in disagreement. Then Brian spoke.

“Annie, parenting is different than it was when we had Daniel.”

“What?” Annie asked, gazing at Brian with confusion.

I could see that Brian was trying to be diplomatic about all of this, and I appreciated that.

“Parents aren’t expected to give up everything for their children anymore,” he said. “And…I think that it would have benefited you to have looked after yourself better and not done everything for Daniel for so long.”

I bit my tongue, because, yeah, it had taken some time for Daniel to realize that I wasn’t going to take over from Annie and look after his every need. We had had some arguments early on about what I expected from another adult in a relationship, and that I wasn’t prepared to sacrifice myself for his needs. He’d changed his habits, or there wouldn’t have been a long-term partnership between us. When Lucy had come along, it had been a struggle for the both of us, but we’d done our best to share responsibilities equally.

Now it was only me, but I knew the importance of finding some space for my own needs and wants, even if I felt guilty about it sometimes. My therapist had emphasized it, too.

Because what I had with Aiden had helped to fulfill me, and that benefited Lucy, too—not to mention that I had someone to help me out with practical things, as well. He wasn’t a co-parent…yet. But he had my back. He was proving that right now.

He’d been quietly watching everything unfold, and now cleared his throat.

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