Page 89 of Single Dad Dilemma
Lily muttered something under her breath, but I didn’t hear it. Probably better that way.
The kids were alone, and I had a feeling my mother was to thank for that. There was no way Lily could handle a crowd right now. But just in case I was wrong, I laid a hand on her forearm before she exited the truck.
“If you want, you’re welcome to come over for dinner tonight. Just ... pizza. Nothing fancy. My brother and his fiancée are here; they’re flying the kids to Colorado tomorrow for a long weekend, but I know they wouldn’t mind if you joined.”
Her eyes were so big in her face again, like she wasn’t even sure how to process my offer. She inhaled slowly, gaze moving briefly towhere Maggie and Bryce stood by her front door, both of them holding something in their hands. Her face softened. “You enjoy your time with your family,” she said as she stared at them. “Pretty sure I’m going straight to bed anyway. I’m tired.”
“Okay.”
Lily slipped out of the truck without another word, and I noticed she left the bag holding the blanket and the collar on the floor. With a sigh, I picked it up again and hopped out.
Bryce and Maggie approached her cautiously, and my heart fucking broke in half when I saw their eyes. Maggie had already been crying, and she ran her hand underneath her nose, tears tracking down her cheeks.
Bryce was trying to hold it together, his lips in a firm line as he thrust a piece of paper at Lily. “I-I’m not really an artist. But I wanted to make you something.” His chin trembled while she studied it. “He was a good dog. I’m ... I’m really sorry he died.”
Lily cupped the side of his face and bent down so she was closer to his height. “This is perfect, thank you.” She wrapped him in a tight hug, her eyes red again. Bryce let out a quiet sob and then turned immediately into my arms when Lily pulled back.
I kissed the top of his head while he cried.
Maggie held out a plate of slightly burned cookies as tears streamed down her cheeks. “I kinda burned them. But I didn’t want anyone to help me, be-because I wanted to do something that would make you feel better.” She hiccuped around her words. “And I forgot to set the timer, and then I started thinking about Larry and when he licked my hand that one time, and you s-said he didn’t usually do that.”
“He didn’t,” she whispered shakily. “He didn’t like very many people, trust me.”
Maggie’s smile was wobbly, and tears dripped down her chin. “But you really think he liked me?”
“Yes,” Lily said genuinely.
Maggie’s face crumpled, and she flung her arms around Lily’s midsection for a hug. While Maggie cried, I watched Lily’s face. She’d set her chin on the top of Maggie’s head, her eyes closed and her breathing slow and steady. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Again and again.
I remembered lying on the gurney while they strapped me in place after I’d torn my MCL and ACL. The pain had been excruciating, and all I’d allowed myself to focus on was my breathing. Not the people watching me. Not the eyes glued to this horrible moment. Not what it meant for the future.
I’d turned inward, refusing to allow a single crack of emotion show through.Time for that later,I’d promised myself. And what I saw in Lily’s face now was what I felt back then.
Discipline to an unfathomable degree.
Maggie pulled away, wiping at her face. Lily gave her a small smile and held up the plate of cookies. “Thank you. I have a feeling this might be my dinner.”
“That’s not very healthy,” Maggie said in a thick, watery voice.
Lily smiled. “No. But I think it’s all I can handle.”
I ran a hand over Maggie’s hair. “Why don’t you two head back home, okay?”
“Thank you,” Lily told them. Then she looked at me. “All of you. I can’t—” Her voice cut out, her jaw tensed, and for a moment, she stared at the driveway. “Thank you.”
The kids each gave her another hug and walked back home.
I held out the bag, and Lily’s shoulders deflated. Her fingers brushed mine as she took it, then turned to walk away.
“It doesn’t feel right,” I said, watching as she froze.
“What doesn’t?” she asked, eyes finding mine over her shoulder.
“Leaving you alone right now.”
Something more crept into my voice. More than I wanted. More than I should have allowed.
If Lily had heard it, she didn’t comment on it, and maybe that was for the best.
