Page 36 of Faking It With the Grumpy Single Dad

Their cottage down the road from mine is warm and alive with laughter, bursting with the colorful chaos that Sabrina brings onto the scene and the hint of grunge wildness that Aiden offers.

Sabrina sits down across from me, her face flushed from the heat of the kitchen as Aiden gives her the kind of look that makes me feel achingly happy for them. It also makes me ache for something just like that.

Because, for all my lack of a traditional family life, I want to have the chance to build one for myself someday. I want a husband that I love with all my heart. I want to have children. I want to share a home full of light and love, stability and routine.

Maybe someday.

As we dig in, Sabrina regales us with stories from her recent book tour, sharing the more bizarre moments from her signing events, like the fan who brought her a pet lizard along because, apparently, it was also a fan of Sabrina’s book.

“Did I mention I’m scared of reptiles?” She laughs. “I was all smiles, but inside, I was definitely panicking.”

“Only you could charm your way out of a situation like that,” Aiden says, shooting a wink in her direction.

“Who would ever bring a lizard for a meet-and-greet?” I shake my head in disbelief. “Surely that’s abusive to the lizard?”

Sabrina shrugs. “Well, evidently, the lizard goes with her everywhere. He sits on her shoulder basically all day. People are so funny and unique, aren't they?”

Aiden snorts. “That’s one way to look at it.”

I grin.

They banter back and forth, and I’m caught between the gentle teasing and easy affection they share. It’s like being let into a secret little world. Unfortunately, the peace I feel around them only makes the pressure of my own problems feel heavier. Usually, it’s easy for me to let go of my small troubles, even for just a little while, but the conversation I had with Joe earlier today is sticking like glue.

As I try to let myself relax, my phone buzzes for the seventh or eighth time. It’s been going off all evening, and I don’t have to look to know it’s Percy. He’s been impossible since that dinner, slipping through every boundary I’ve put up between us. He’s even started posting vague, ridiculous things on Instagram about how he’s oh-so-innocentlyexploring the East Coast. As if his sudden interest in quaint New England towns is just a whim that struck him out of nowhere.

Aiden catches me glancing down at my phone and tilts his head with inquisitive concern. “Percy again?”

I nod, setting my phone facedown. I try to brush it off, unwilling to ruin the night, but Aiden isn’t about to let it go. He wasn’t around for most of my relationship with Percy, given that he was first on a world tour and then almost immediately left Malibu for Mermaid Shores. Still, he knows the most important details, and now so does Sabrina.

“That man needs a hobby,” Sabrina mutters, glancing over at Aiden for support. “Preferably, one that doesn’t involve stalking you.”

Aiden nods, leaning back with a sigh. “He’s obsessed with himself just as much as he’s obsessed with you. Not to psychoanalyze the situation, but it feels like he can’t get over the fact that you—or, like, the public caricature of you—is the perfect match for him. It’s all about his image.”

I can’t help but smile wryly. “A tale as old as time.”

Aiden cringes. He knows exactly what I mean, having been the victim of plenty of fake people who care more about the fact that he’s a musician than the reality that he’s also a human being.

Percy has always cared more about how people see him than about actually connecting with anyone. It was one of the things that started to drive me away. He didn’t want to be in a loving relationship with me. Rather, he wanted me as an accessory, something to show off. It’s probably why he latched onto me even tighter once I pulled away. He’s greedy, and he especially wants what he can’t have.

Sabrina’s face lights up with a spark of mischief. “Why don’t we give him a taste of his own medicine?”

I blink, caught off guard. “What do you mean?”

“Go public with it.” She taps her fingernails delicately against the stem of her wine glass. “Percy can’t stand people thinking badly of him, right? So, if people knew what he was doing, how he’s acting like a creepy stalker…”

I laugh, half in disbelief, but it’s clear that Sabrina is serious. The idea simmers… It would be satisfying to expose him once and for all. And making this mess public could take away his power over me. It would put his image in jeopardy. The thought of showing people the real Percy is undeniably tempting.

But, somehow, I don’t think it’s the right move.

“If only it were that simple,” I sigh. “But I just don’t think I want that kind of attention on me right now.”

Aiden shakes his head, leaning his elbows on the table. “The world’s already watching you, Pop. If Percy’s got you lookingover your shoulder in your own home, it’s only fair people know the truth.”

Sabrina nods in agreement. “And I’d be willing to bet that you’re not the only woman in Percy’s life who has had to deal with this. Really, it’d be a useful warning to others he might come across in the future.”

A tiny part of me is emboldened by their words, but I also know that Percy wouldn’t just go away quietly. He’d find a way to turn it back around on me, and somehow makemelook like the bad guy. Gaslighting is his natural talent, and it doesn’t help that most people think he’s a perfect angel of a man. In fact, even though it’s been a year since I left him, I still see comments and messages on social media about how foolish I am for letting go of agorgeous guy like that.

That’s the problem. People never want to see things from a woman’s point of view. The man always comes out on top.

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