Page 104 of Your Second Chance
I looked at her, the raw honesty in her words tugging at something deep inside me.
“I haven’t been happier,” she continued, her voice trembling slightly. “Life is stressful, and things aren’t perfect, but... I’m happy. Truly happy.”
I stopped walking, turning to her and cupping her face. “You’ve made my life happier too, love. Every single day.”
We walked in companionable silence for a few moments before I asked, “Do you ever think about him? Austin?”
She didn’t answer right away, her gaze fixed on the cobblestones beneath our feet. “I have recently,” she finally admitted. “I wondered what my life would look like if I’d stayed. But not in the sense of ever missing him. I love my life here.” Her voice grew quieter, tinged with sadness. “I miss Mami more. I miss the fact that she would have loved to be here tonight. I know she was in spirit.”
“She was.” I assured her gently, brushing my thumb over her hand.
Nova nodded, but her voice turned wistful. “Sometimes I wonder what will happen when Scarlette grows up. Who’ll attend her father-daughter dances or teach her to play rugby?”
I threw a hand over my heart, mock offended. “To think I wouldn’t do that.”
She laughed, the sound lightening the mood instantly. “I know we haven’t really talked about it much, and it doesn’t matter for a while, but... what do you want to be called? With Scarlette?”
The question lingered in my mind, looping back to the hospital, the moment I first held Scarlette. I’d thought about this before—what it would mean, what she might call me, and how I’d fit into her life in a way that honored her truth. It wasn’t a simple answer. Nothing about it ever was.
I finally turned to Nova, my steps slowing as I faced her. “I think... I’d want her to call me Ollie.”
Her brow furrowed slightly, her lips parting as if to argue, but I held up a hand gently, stopping her before she spoke.
“I hope this doesn’t hurt your feelings, but if there’s ever a chance she meets her biological dad, I want to leave that spacefor him. I don’t want to take something away from her that she might want one day. If, down the road, she decides to call me something different, then I’ll be okay with it. I think Ollie is good.” The corners of my lips tugged into a faint smirk, trying to ease the weight of the conversation. “Plus, she already has a Daddy Luna.”
Nova’s eyes softened, but her voice carried a quiet protest. “Are you sure? I don’t think that’s fair, though. Youareher dad. You’re the one raising her. Just because Austin is her biological father?—”
I shook my head firmly. “No, Nova. I’m sure.” I took her hand again, brushing my thumb over hers as I searched for the right words. “Scarlette is going to grow up knowing love and security. She’s going to know that I’m here for her, always. But if I take that title, I’m worried... if she ever meets Austin, it might make things more complicated for her. She’ll need space to figure out her own feelings about him, and I don’t want to stand in the way of that. She deserves that choice.”
Nova pressed her lips together.
“I don’t want her to feel like she has to choose between me and him, or like I’m replacing someone she might want to know one day. I’ll love her endlessly, no matter what she calls me. That won’t change.”
Her eyes shimmered as she nodded slowly. “You’re a better man than you give yourself credit for.”
“I want what’s best for her. For both of you.”
The house came into view, warm light spilling through the windows, and I looked over at Nova, her face soft with that rare, easy smile. I didn’t need a title to love her fiercely or to love Nova with everything I had. This was my family, and nothing was going to change that.
part two
four years later
39
nova
“Ollie,” Scarlette screamed, her little voice echoing through the house. “Granny is coming. I need my stuffie.”
“It’s right here,” I called back from the stairs, holding up the floppy rabbit she refused to sleep without. “Ollie’s at work still, baby.”
My sweet little four-year-old came bounding down the stairs, her light brown curls bouncing wildly with every step. She was firmly in the stage where brushing her hair was a battle, and I’d long since learned to pick my fights. It bothered Luna more than it did me, though. As promised, Daddy Luna was still the one who came over every morning before nursery school, making sure Scarlette picked out her outfit and got dressed. It’d been that way since she started school at one, and somehow, neither of them had grown out of the routine.
Ollie’s Mum was already at the door and Scarlette grabbed her rabbit and held it up for her grandma.
“Are you ready to come spend the weekend with Granny and Pops?”
Scarlette squealed, and I walked over to give Mrs. Stone a hug and kiss on the cheek. “Thank you for doing this for us. We’ll be there Sunday.”
