Page 4 of Follow My Heart

I threw out the remainder of my cone, taking Daphne’s offered napkin. “I should have been able to make it work.”

“That’s not on you. You wanted to keep your family together. She didn’t.”

“She changed after we got married and had Faith. She no longer felt the need to include my family. It was always about hers.”

Daphne’s face pinched. “That’s not right.”

“Now I can spend more time with Faith away from Stacy, and I’m hoping we can have a better relationship. I worked a lot and let Stacy take the lead in the parenting department.”

“You’re a good dad. You want what’s best for Faith”

“I didn’t want to be divorced. I don’t want her shuttled back and forth between houses, feeling like she doesn’t have a home.”

Daphne’s lips pursed. “It doesn’t sound like you have a choice.”

“Stacy’s already seeing someone else.”

Daphne raised her brow. “You think she was seeing him when you moved here?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know.”

Daphne touched my arm. “This is probably hard to hear, but maybe it’s time for you to move on too.”

“Faith needs me right now.”

Daphne hooked her hand through my elbow. “She does. But you deserve to be happy too.”

“I just wanted a family. I saw the love our parents had for each other, and I thought I could have that too.” Maybe that’s why I latched onto Violet in second grade and Stacy in college. I was desperate to find what my parents had, because I knew all too well how a long life wasn’t guaranteed.

“And you still can. I’m happy with Cole, and he’s not Izzy’s biological dad.”

“He adopted her though. She’s his now.” I respected the hell out of Cole for confronting Izzy’s dad and adopting Daphne’s daughter.

Daphne’s gaze was sympathetic. “And I love that for us. But it’s not your situation.”

“I don’t want Faith to be touched by the divorce.”

“You can’t guarantee that she won’t be.”

“I have to try.” My gaze shifted from Violet’s smiling face to Faith, where she was helping Izzy scale the climbing wall.

“You’re a good man, Ryder. If Stacy couldn’t see that, then she wasn’t the one for you.”

It was a nice sentiment, but it didn’t make me feel any better about my failure of a marriage. I wasn’t sure I’d ever be ready to move on with anyone else. I’d made the wrong choice once, and I couldn’t regret Faith, but I didn’t trust my judgment anymore.

And this time, I had Faith to consider. I couldn’t be parading women in front of her. I needed to give her a stable life. It was going to be difficult with me living in Maryland and Stacy in Virginia, but we’d make it work. There was nothing more important than my daughter.

I wouldn’t be distracted by the girl I married in second grade. Talking to Violet was a diversion, a break from my reality. But it couldn’t go anywhere. Harmless flirting was all I could handle.

CHAPTER 2

VIOLET

After that flirtation with Ryder Calloway, I couldn’t stop sneaking glances at him where he stood with Daphne. I wondered if they were talking about me, and why Ryder thought it was necessary to bring up what happened in second grade.

What other boy played along with a girl who wanted him to be her boyfriend in elementary school. It went beyond a simple crush because we acted it out.

I felt good when I was with him, holding his hand. There was something special about Ryder Calloway. I was drawn to him.

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