He pushed the door open once it buzzed and I followed him up the stairs to their apartment. I dug my hands into my jacket pockets to hide the shaking. The back of my neck prickled with heat; the first impression Victoria was about to get of me was face down in her hallway.
“Cupcake,” Josh whispered as he pulled me back. “One of the reasons I loved her so fast is because she reminded me so much of you. You’re going to love her, and she’s going to love you.” His hand cupped my clammy cheek. “So, relax—or try to, okay?”
I nodded and gave his lips a quick peck. “Okay.” I swallowed and motioned to their door. “Let’s go in.”
A smile pulled at his cheeks before he rang their doorbell. Swift footsteps shuffled toward the other side of the door before the tick of the peephole. The door creaked open, and I came face to face with Victoria’s mother.
“Josh,” Sara sighed while giving me a once over. “Like I said over the phone, I’m not sure I want you bringing strangers over to meet Victoria.”
“Josh!” A little voice squealed from behind her before a little girl pummeled into Josh’s legs. “Mommy didn’t say you were coming today!”
A wide grin split his mouth as he returned her hug. “Hi, Victoria.” Josh kissed the top of her head before crouching down in front of her. She was tall for her age, but small compared to her father’s over six feet stature. “I wanted to bring my best friend over to meet you.” He turned his head and smiled at me. “This is Brianna. She’s the one who likes Wonder Woman, too.”
“Hi, Brianna,” she greeted me with a little voice as she smiled. I looked between her and Josh and blinked. They shared the same eyes, button nose, and beautiful smile. Every single inch of her was her father, and a lump grew in my throat so large it almost suffocated me.
“Hi, Victoria,” I chirped, hoping to disguise the crack in my voice. “Thank you for the bobble head. I put it on my desk at work. I love it.”
Her smile grew wider. “I have more Wonder Woman stuff. Want to see it?” The pure joy on her face made my chest constrict. In less than five minutes, I saw how Josh fell in love so fast. “Come on in!” She grabbed my hand and pulled me inside.
I locked my gaze with Sara’s. She was an attractive woman with long chestnut hair pulled into a high bun on her head. It was difficult to ignore the twinge of jealousy. Josh had no commitment to me when he hooked up with her, but it still burned me a little knowing she had a baby with the man I always loved.
“Hi, Sara. I’m Brianna. It’s nice to meet you.” I extended my hand, but she let it dangle between us.
“Like I told you, Brianna is no stranger. She’s someone permanent in my life, so she’ll be permanent in Victoria’s, too.” Josh kept his tone light but squeezed my hand hard. Even though she kept their daughter a secret, Josh wanted to play by her rules. He also found a lawyer to put on a retainer, just in case. I hoped it never had to come to that.
“Everything is in my room.” Victoria yanked my hand again as she led me down the short hallway.
Sure enough, her bedroom was wall-to-wall Wonder Woman, just as mine had been. Well, until I got interested in boys.
“I had a lot of these posters myself,” I noted as I glanced around her room. My eyes landed on the stack of notebooks in the corner. “Are those your school books?” I sat at the edge of her bed.
“No.” She shook her head. “I write stuff in there. Mrs. Cooper in my writing program said you should always be writing something.”
“Your dad—I mean, Josh—told me about that! You know . . .” I whispered and craned my head around the room. Victoria’s eyes grew wide as she prepared to receive my secret. “I did that, too. I loved to write ever since I was your age.”
“You wrote since you were eight?”
I couldn’t help the smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. “I did. I used to make Josh read, but some stuff was just for me.”
Her lips pursed as she crossed her arms. “I don’t want anyone reading anything I write.”
“Why?”
“Because people will laugh at me. I wrote a poem for the school newspaper andeveryonelaughed at me.” She dropped her gaze to the floor, and my heart broke. Josh was right. She really was me—or would’ve been me if I didn’t have a Josh.
I took her hands and pulled her closer. “Anyone who laughs at you is just jealous. They wish they had a talent like you. And anything you write, I’d love to read it, and I would never, ever laugh at you.”
Her green eyes lit up. She was such a beautiful girl. Warmth flooded my chest knowing that now she had a father who would fill that void and then some, because that’s what he did for me. She could forget about all the mean kids, exactly as I did.
“So, besides write, what else do you like to do?”
She gave me a big smile. “Dance! I’ve been dancing since I was a little girl.” I held in a laugh at her stern expression.
“Wow, well that’s a long time.”
“Victoria!” Sara’s shrill voice echoed down the hallway. “You still have homework to finish.”
She crinkled her nose at me. “Will you come back, too?”
