Page 153 of Mistaken Intention

“I think I was a little mad at her to start with. I’d already told her about you…”

I almost dropped the carton of eggs I was holding. “Y—You had?”

“Yeah.” He scratched his head. “I basically asked her permission to date you.”

I put down the eggs and turned to him. “What did she say?”

“She laughed and told me she was fine with it. She said she thought I’d be good for you.”

I looked up into his eyes. “She did?”

He moved closer, tilting his head. “Yeah. She told me a little about your background, and she said you’d been lonely. I remember, I didn’t like the sound of that. I wanted to do something about it.”

I smiled up at him. “And you did.”

“Yeah… eventually.”

I leaned up on my tip-toes, kissing him. “It was worth waiting for.” He smiled, and I opened the carton of eggs. “You haven’t explained why you were mad at her.”

“That’s simple. I’d asked her if she was okay about me seeing you, which she was, and then she promptly told me she was already living with someone. Manuel, wasn’t it?”

I nodded my head. “Yeah… and I guess I can see why that got you riled.”

“I thought she should have told me earlier.”

“That’s what I said to her, when she told me about him… that you had a right to know another man was living with your daughter.”

“Precisely.”

“You didn’t fight, did you? That’s not what caused the accident?”

“No. She accepted she should’ve told me sooner, and I explained that I’d need some time.”

“To get used to the idea?”

He shook his head. “Funnily enough, that’s what she said. But that had nothing to do with it. I needed time to find a house in Boston.”

I frowned, surprised by his answer. “A house? What for?”

“For Maisie. I knew my apartment wasn’t suitable for a baby, or a small child, so I wanted to buy a house instead. Somewhere other than here that I could call home. I offered to help her out financially, if she needed it, but she said ‘no’. I guess because her boyfriend didn’t want me interfering.”

“Maybe.” I moved a little closer to him. “Are you still thinking of buying a house there?”

“No. Why would I?”

“For when you need to go there… for work.”

He shook his head. “Work doesn’t seem so important right now. Watching Maisie grow up and being with you are my chief concerns. So, I was thinking I’ll probably sell my apartment and my studio.”

“You’ll give up photography?”

He smiled. “I didn’t say that. I enjoy taking photographs of you… and of Maisie, and I might build a small studio here, just for fun. The thing is, I’m not gonna do anything that takes me away from you.”

And that’s exactly what he’s done. He’s sold his apartment, and I’ve sold mine, too. When we went back there, we discovered Maisie’s travel cot in the guest bedroom. To be honest, I’d forgotten I even had it, and it was a reminder of that last night with Lexi. She was snatched away the very next day, and that thought made me cry. I think that was the first time I realized what I’d lost, and Drew held me and let me weep.

We kept the cot… not because we needed it, but because it was a reminder not to take anything for granted.

He’s rented out his city studio to another photographer, and the building work on the studio here will begin in the spring.

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