I pulled her into a hug, holding on maybe a little too tight. She didn’t pull away.
“Thank you for not freaking out,” I whispered into her hair.
“That happens to be my specialty.”
We sat on that beach until the sun set, talking. I shared more memories of the years I’d had with Margot. “She was my constant companion. Nicole was always out, so the baby stayed with me. I even took her to the restaurant with me. The staff loved her. She practically grew up in the kitchen. She was only two when she ate pâté de campagne for the first time.”
“A wonderful choice. Very easy to eat with your hands.”
I laughed, then looked out to sea, watching the waves crash to shore, leaving tiny bubbles in the sand. “When I first met her, I thought it was fate. We’d grown up not forty minutes apart and met halfway across the world—it felt like something meant to be. Then she got pregnant, and everything sped up. Marriage seemed like the right thing to do.” I paused, following the line of foam as it curled back into the tide. “At first, she liked the idea of being married to a sommelier, of living in France, of the romance of it all. But that didn’t last. Soon she started complaining that I worked nights, that our lives revolved around the restaurant schedule. She was young, beautiful, restless. Shewanted parties, glamour, Paris—or so she said. But I didn’t want to separate and lose my daughter, so I just put up with it. When Margot was four, Nicole said she wanted to go home to California for a few months. I thought she meant for a visit—to see her family. She promised it was temporary. But she never came back. Just filed for custody in California and refused to return to France. By the time I realized what she’d done, it was too late.”
“Oh, Vance, I’m so sorry.”
“It was a very dark period.”
“Does this change things? Between you and me?” I asked. “Do you want to avoid all the drama?”
“What kind of person does that? Only wants a man who has zero drama? Anyway, I’ll get to see firsthand a father who wants nothing more than to be with his daughter. I’ve never seen that—not for Mia. So I get it—the rage you feel. We don’t want anyone to hurt our daughters, especially not one of their parents. Sadly, we have that in common.”
When we finally packed up the picnic, the moon was rising over the ocean. We walked back to the parking lot, her hand in mine, both of us quiet. When we reached the car, she turned to me. “I think you should kiss me. After what we just shared, I think it’s time.”
My heart stuttered. “You think so?”
“Do you want to?” She stepped closer, her hand still in mine.
I reached up, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, letting my fingers linger against her cheek. “I’ve wanted to kiss you since the moment I saw you walk into The Pelican.”
“Same. But I have to warn you, I haven’t kissed anyone in a long time,” Lila said.
“Me either. But I hear it’s like riding a bike.”
I cupped her face in both hands, giving her one more moment to change her mind. But she didn’t pull away. Instead, she rose up on her toes, closing the distance between us.
Her lips were warm and tasted faintly of rosé. I felt her hands come up to rest against my chest, her fingers curling into my shirt. The kiss deepened, became less careful, more certain. When we finally pulled apart, both of us slightly breathless, we smiled at each other—a little dazed, a little in awe.
“That was nice,” she whispered.
“I’d say so.”
She laughed softly. “I guess we still remember how to kiss someone.”
“We should probably do it again. Just to make sure.”
“Just to make sure,” she agreed, smiling against my lips as I kissed her again.
I drove her home slowly, taking the long way through town just to steal a few more minutes. When I pulled into her driveway, the porch light was on, and I could see movement through the front window.
“She’s definitely watching for us,” Lila said, laughing.
“Should I walk you to the door?”
“You’d better. She’ll never forgive me if you don’t.”
I came around to open her car door, and, before we’d made it halfway up the path, the front door flew open.
Mia stood there in her pajamas, grinning like she’d just won the lottery.
“Hey, guys. You’re home so early,” Mia said.
