Page 45 of Forever Writing You

“I came here to make sure your heart is okay after you lost out on a cheating woman who I never liked from day one.”

I rolled my eyes. “You can take the honeymoon trip, Leo.”

“Thanks!” He disappeared.

Moments later, the sound of footsteps hitting the stone made me turn around.

“Mom?” I smiled at her as she pulled me into a hug.

“How are you doing?” she asked.

“The same as I was when we spoke earlier this morning.”

“So, constipated and grumpy?”

“Funny.” I smiled and offered her my seat, but she refused. Instead, she moved to the railing and looked out at the garden.

“I miss Mrs. Foster so much,” she said. “When you and Dahlia went across town to college, we became the best of friends.”

“I know.”

“She loved you like you were her own son.”

“I know that, too…”

“We never did understand why Dahlia broke up with you out of nowhere, though,” she said. “I never bought what you told me about the cheating. That wasn’t in her nature at all.”

I said nothing.

“Her mother assumed she was just going through an emotional crisis, but she assumed it would be temporary.”

“Shouldn’t you be talking to me about Carmen instead of Dahlia right now?”

“Anyway—” She waved away my suggestion. “I hope you’ll figure that out and see if things with her are salvageable. You’ve been promising me a grandbaby forever, and time is ticking.”

“It hasn’t been forever, Mom.”

“Ha!” She snorted. “Okay, since you were like nine.”

“You’re exaggerating.”

“You don’t remember your father ghosting you on Career Day in the sixth grade?” She looked into my eyes. “You told me right then and there that you would have a kid someday and you’d never do that to him. Or her.”

I remembered that vividly, but I didn’t mention it.

“I’m not saying you have to pop out a baby just for me, of course, but fatherhood has been something you’ve wanted for as long as I can remember, so I just?—”

“Hold that thought, Mom,” I interrupted her. “I need to go handle something.”

“Now?”

“Yeah.” I headed to the door. “Before it’s too late.”

TWENTY-THREE

Dahlia

Icouldn’t sleep.

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