Page 40 of The Coffee Bar on Camellia Court

Alex's fingers flew across his keypad:Where are you?

The response came quickly this time:You can go if you need to.

Alex stared down at her message. What exactly was she suggesting? Before he could think up a clarifying response, another text came through from Melissa.

Is L asleep yet?

That was an easy question:Of course.

Then go. I'm just around the corner at the resort. L sleeps like a rock, and the nanny is back by 2.

Shock. Rage. Disbelief. Fear. Each emotion volleyed through him and his hands were shaking.You leave her alone at night?

She's a big girl, Alex. The condo has topnotch security. Stop making this a big deal.

He could almost hear Melissa's dismissive tone. The cavalier way she discussed abandoning their daughter made his blood boil.

This IS a big deal. She's EIGHT.

She's mature for her age. She likes her independence.

"Independence?" Alex said aloud, incredulous, hearing in his head how his daughter had used the same word when she'd tapped in the code for the front door. His thoughts circled back to Juno, to what he'd learned about her childhood with unreliable parents. About how she'd been forced to be independent at far too young, to fend for herself. He wouldn't let that happen to Lena.

Get home now or I'm calling the police.

There was a long pause before Melissa replied:You wouldn't dare.

Try me. Get. Home. NOW.

He'd let her pull all the strings, call all the shots, and make all the moves, but things were about to change. Just that morning – or was it yesterday morning now? – the last thing Juno had said to him as she headed back downstairs to her cafe was, "Whatever's going on, whatever it is that's harder now—you don't have to face it alone."

Well, he hoped she'd meant it, because he'd love to have Juno back in his life again. But even if she retreated, she was still right. He wasn't alone. He had Ward. He had his parents, even though their relationship had been strained for so many years after Jason's suicide. Grief was an indiscriminate monster that didn't care what kind of destruction it left in its wake, and for so long, Alex simply hadn't known how to make reparations after his years of hard living.

But now,nowhe had Lena. He had a miracle, an angel from heaven, and he knew the moment his parents laid eyes on her, that they, too, would stand behind him, beside him, and support him as he became the kind of father his daughter needed him to be.

Twenty minutes later, Melissa swept into the condo, reeking of expensive perfume and wine. She still looked remarkably put together in her formfitting black dress, her blonde hair perfectly styled despite the late hour, but Alex didn't miss the slight wobble on her stiletto heels.

"You're still here," she said, dropping her clutch on the foyer table before making her way into the kitchen. Her words were slightly slurred.

19

Juno

I'msorryforbailingon you and for not calling earlier.

Juno had been staring at Alex's text for nearly twenty minutes, fingers hovering over the key pad, then retreating.

Melissa is MIA, so I'm staying here with Lena for now.

There was no better reason for him to bail on her, was there? Her thumb hesitated over the heart reaction, then drifted away.

It's late, so please don't worry about responding.

What would she even say?No problem, I completely understand why you'd keep your daughter a secret.Or maybe:Don't worry about standing me up, I'm used to it.

She rolled to her side, the covers tangling around her legs as she gazed out the window at the dark sky. The last twenty-four hours had been quite the rollercoaster, starting with Alex and The Beast parked outside her door, and ending with the revelation that Alex had an eight-year-old daughter with his caramel-streaked hair and easy smile. A bright, articulate little girl who clearly adored him despite only seeing him sporadically.

She closed her eyes, remembering the panicked look on his face when she'd spotted them outside the bookstore. And then Lena's innocent words:It's our secret, but I think it's a dumb thing to keep secret, don't you, Miss Juno?

---