“Mark my words…” Daphne says as I walk out of the room, but I don’t stop to hear the end of the statement.
“Watch, Daddy.” Tate pushes off the cinder blocks in the alley, showing me how well she can ride her bike without training wheels. She has the biggest smile on her face as the bike wobbles back and forth, but she doesn’t stop peddling. Even though it snowed last night, most has melted due to the unusually sunny winter day.
“Good job, baby!” I’m a little choked up, but my voice doesn’t waver. Something this small and trivial shouldn’t evoke this much emotion, but it’s another step in her growing up and another thing Marissa has missed.
“She’s growing up fast.” Ma walks outside and joins me behind the bar. “Soon, she’ll be dating and going away to college.”
“Ma, come on. She’s in elementary school.” I wave to Tate as she glides by, a little steadier this time.
“Look, Grandma.” Tate smiles, but her eyes are quickly forced back on the path when the handlebars start to turn.
“You’re doing good, sweetheart.” Ma claps as Tate speeds by.
“Angelo, I remember being out here with you when you were her age. It feels like yesterday. It all went by in the blink of an eye.”
“Time doesn’t pass so fast for me, Ma,” I confess. Every day since Marissa died has felt like a year, passing ever so torturously slow.
Ma wraps her arm around my middle and places her head on my arm. “Now that Michelle’s gone, it’s time for you to move forward. That was fun while it lasted, but you need to get serious about your future.”
Jesus. “I liked Michelle, Ma, but…”
“She wasn’t the right one, baby. It’s okay to scratch an itch with someone you trust. That’s just being a man and alive.”
“I shouldn’t have.”
“Oh, stop. You’re still breathing, Angelo. A man has needs.”
I glance down at her. “Ma, can we change the subject?”
“Fine. I won’t talk about sex.” She grips my waist tighter.
“Thank fuck,” I whisper.
“Let’s talk about the cupcake.”
And just like clockwork, Tilly walks out of the back of her store and steps into the alley. She’s bathed in sunlight, looking so damn angelic and more beautiful than I ever could’ve imagined underneath the sea of white she was wearing when we met.
“Wow,” Ma says exactly what I’m thinking. “I take it that’s her?”
“Angelo!” Tilly waves with one hand and shields her eyes with the other.
I wave back, careful not to be overenthusiastic, even though my stomach does this weird thing when I let my eyes travel down her body. She’s wearing a black pencil skirt that goes down past her knees, a white blouse with the first two buttons undone, and red stiletto heels that accentuate the muscles in her legs.
I suck in a breath as she saunters our way, feeling like I’ve taken a punch to the gut. Her brown hair looks more auburn in the sun, with streaks of red and orange blazing through the brown.
“Hi.” She looks at my mom as she gets closer, and she pulls her black knee-length coat closed. “I’m Tilly. I’m opening the cupcake shop.”
My mother holds out her hand to Tilly but keeps the other one securely fastened around my waist. “I’m Betty, Angelo’s mother.”
Tilly shakes my mother’s hand, but her eyes are locked on me for a few seconds before she speaks. “It’s wonderful to meet you, Betty.”
The deep sea of green in her eyes is striking, almost changing by the second in the daylight.
“You as well.” I can hear the happiness in my ma’s voice.
“Daddy!” Tate draws my attention back to the cupcake standing in front of me. “Look.” Tate lifts one hand off the handlebar, tempting fate.
“Hold on, baby.” I shake my head, but I stop myself from running down the alley and snatching her off the bike. “Don’t play around.”
