Page 87 of Big Island Neighbors
“I know. That’s on me.” He took a shaky breath. “I’ll try to do better. I want to do better.”
They had just finished reading through the last of the mandatory paperwork when the girls came home. Mitch hurried to close the folder and set it aside.
“Daddy!” Paige launched herself at her dad and hugged him.
He sniffed back tears as he held her to his chest.
Piper held back for a minute. Then Mitch opened one of his arms to her, and she joined in the hug.
“Look what I painted!” Paige said when she pulled away. She held up an impressive watercolor painting of a delicate orange bird, and Mitch beamed.
“That’s beautiful, sweetheart!”
“Look whatIpainted.” Piper held up a mess of red and brown and gray. Tara had to lean in and look at it for a minute beforerealizing that it was a pack of wolves tearing into some herd animal – caribou, she supposed.
“It’s, um, very vivid,” Mitch said. They stared at each other for a second, and then all three of them burst out laughing.
Tara’s heart ached with relief at the sound of their laughter, and she walked over to the kitchen to give them some space.
“No work today,” Mitch said. “What do you say we go into town and get some shave ice?”
“Yeah!” Piper shouted.
Paige looked over at Tara. “Mom? Can we?”
“Of course.” She smiled at her girls. “Have fun.”
She was allowing herself a rare moment of rest, curled up under a blanket with her favorite book, when the dogs’ barking pulled her up off of the couch. Reluctantly, she went to see who it was.
“Liam,” she said with surprise when she saw the familiar face. “What are you doing here?”
“I was just next door helping your neighbors finish up their duck pond.”
“It’s done?”
“All filled up. Just stocked it with plants and fish.” He paused, and the intensity of his gaze unsettled her. “I heard about the divorce.”
She felt the color drain from her cheeks. Some absurd corner of her brain clamored to tell him that it was her decision, that she was happier this way. But she just nodded.
Then she cleared her throat and asked, “Heard from who?”
He ran a hand through his silver hair. “I heard the girls talking to Maddie.”
“Oh.” Tara looked down and pulled self-consciously at the hem of her ratty old t-shirt.
“I’m sorry for bringing it up. If you’re not ready to talk about it, I understand. It’s just–” He cut himself off.
When Tara looked up, he was watching her with that same intensity in his dark blue eyes.
“Tara, I’ve loved you for years.” He stood with both hands braced on the top of her front gate, his gaze unwavering. “I never would have said anything about it when you were married–”
“I’m still married.” Her cheeks burned, but she couldn’t look away from him. Lord, but he was a handsome man. “Technically.”
“I know that, and I’m not trying to rush you. I’m not going anywhere. And if you’re not interested, we’ll continue on the same as we’ve been. I just… I had to say something.”
She opened and closed her mouth like a landed fish. “I don’t know what to say.”
He leaned forward, then pushed himself back and dropped his hands from her gate. Tara was simultaneously grateful for and annoyed with the metal fence that separated them.
