Page 44 of Worth the Fall

"Thank you for last night," he murmurs.

"For what?"

"For being you," he says simply, his voice low and steady.

I don’t know how to respond, so I kiss him again instead. Watching him walk down the hall, I feel a strange mix of lightness and longing, like my heart is too full to stay in one place.

That evening, as I’m curled up on the couch with a glass of wine, my phone buzzes.

Miguel

Felicity’s latest masterpiece.

Attached is a photo of a drawing. It’s a stick-figure family: Miguel, Felicity, and me.

My breath catches as I stare at the image. The drawing is simple—childlike—but it hits me harder than anything has in years.

I type back quickly.

Mia

She’s talented! And apparently very smart, too.

His response comes almost immediately.

Miguel

She knows good people when she sees them.

I set my phone down, the warmth of his words sinking in. For the first time in a long time, I let myself imagine it—a future with Miguel and Felicity.

Quiet mornings filled with coffee and laughter. Dance recitals and bedtime stories. A family.

Maybe—just maybe—this is what I’ve been searching for all along.

CHAPTER 10

Miguel

The late morning sun filters through the trees as we walk down the winding path of the zoo, the hum of excited voices and the occasional call of animals filling the air. Felicity skips ahead of us, clutching the map she insisted on carrying, her curls bouncing with every step. She’s determined to visit the giraffes first, despite the fact that we’ve already passed three other enclosures that caught her eye.

I glance at Mia walking beside me, her hand brushing mine occasionally. She’s dressed casually in jeans and a soft green blouse that makes her eyes stand out, her hair pulled back into a loose ponytail. She smiles as Felicity calls out for us to hurry, and my chest warms at the sight.

"Thanks for taking the day off," I say, leaning a little closer to her.

She glances up at me, her smile soft. "Are you kidding? When Felicity makes a request like that, how can I say no?"

I chuckle, keeping my voice low so Felicity doesn’t overhear. "She’s been asking me every night if tomorrow would be another Mia day. I think she’s starting to believe you’re part of the package now."

Mia laughs, the sound light and genuine. "She’s sweet. And honestly, I was just as excited. I haven’t been to the zoo in years."

"Then you’re in for a treat," I say, my voice dropping slightly. "Though I’m more excited to see you pretending to know everything about the animals for Felicity’s sake."

She smirks, nudging me with her elbow. "What makes you think I don’t know everything? Maybe I’m secretly an animal expert."

"Oh yeah?" I tease, leaning in closer. "Alright, Professor Mason. Tell me all about the natural habitat of a giraffe."

She opens her mouth, probably to deliver some clever retort, but Felicity’s shriek of excitement interrupts us. "Daddy! Look! It’s the giraffes!"

---