Page 47 of The One Who Changed Everything

But Evan Mercer had never been the type to back down.

And, apparently, neither was I.

The next afternoon, I shrugged into my coat behind the library desk. Just a few more minutes before I could leave. I hadn’t even noticed Evan approaching until his stack of books hit the counter with a dull thud.

I startled, looking up to find him standing there, his expression somewhere between confident and unsure—like he hadn’t quite decided which way to play this yet. “Hey,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Didn’t think you’d still be here.”

“Just wrapping up. Sophia went to Kelly’s house after school.” I glanced down at the books he’d set down, my fingers tightening slightly on my purse strap.The Single Dad’s Survival Guide. Understanding Your Preteen. Connecting with Your Child After Lost Time.

A lump formed in my throat before I could stop it. He wasn’t just saying he wanted to be involved—he wastrying.Studying,even. And for a man like Evan Mercer, who probably made every decision on instinct, that meant something.

I swallowed, forcing my voice into something light. “Light reading?”

He exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck, looking almost… sheepish. Evan Mercer, sheepish. That was new. “Yeah, well… figured I should at least try to get it right.”

Something in me cracked at the quiet vulnerability in his tone. This was the same man who had stood in my kitchen last night, pushing and prying, frustrating me to no end. And yet, here he was, not demanding butlearning.And it undid me just a little.

I could have made a joke. Could have brushed it off. Instead, I just swallowed and reached for the first book, scanning it and sliding it back to him. “It’s a really good start.”

His eyes flicked to mine, something quiet in them. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” I replied with a thready voice.

The tension stretched between us, heavy but not quite uncomfortable.

“I’m really sorry about last night,” he said. “You were right. You don’t owe me anything when it comes to your private life. I just… I want you to know that I’m here for you. Both of you.”

The sincerity in his voice cracked something in me, just a little. I traced the edge of the counter with my fingertips, avoiding his gaze even as my heart pounded in my chest.Both of you.It shouldn’t have made my throat tighten the way it did, shouldn’t have sent a warmth curling through me that I wasn’t ready to acknowledge.

I swallowed hard and nodded. “Okay.” It was all I could manage. Not quite acceptance, not quite rejection—just a small step toward something I still didn’t know how to define.

I finished checking out his books and pushed them toward him. “Here you go. You heading out?”

He nodded. “Yeah. I’ll walk you to your car.”

It wasn’t a question.

I hesitated, my instinct to say I didn’t need him to. But that wasn’t the point, was it? Hewantedto.

So, instead, I just nodded, pulling my bag over my shoulder and heading toward the door, Evan falling into step beside me.

And for the first time in weeks, we weren’t arguing. Weren’t throwing up walls between us.

We were just… walking. Together.

"Would you tell me about Sophia when she was little?" he said suddenly, his voice carrying a warmth that melted into the surrounding silence.

The question caught me off guard, my steps faltering just slightly on the pavement outside the library.

I glanced up at him, searching his face. His expression was open—hopeful, even—but there was a hesitation in his eyes, like he wasn’t sure if he was allowed to ask.

Would I tell him about Sophia when she was little?

The weight of the question settled somewhere deep in my chest.

For so long, her childhood had belonged to justme.Every late-night feeding, every scraped knee, every first word, every giggle-filled game of hide-and-seek. I’d memorized those moments, stored them away like treasures. And now… he was asking for them.

My first instinct was to keep them close. To remind him that he hadn’t been there, that he hadn’t earned them. But hadn’t I just told myself I wanted to let go of the anger?

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