He kisses my cheek and then hers. “I want to continue this conversation, but I have something else I need to do. I’ll be back in a little bit.”
“Where are you going?” Fallon asks before I can do the same.
His lip twitches and his nostrils flair. “It’s time for me to have a little chat with Ginny.” He looks at me. “What happened to you isnotokay. It willneverbe okay. I know I can’t go back in time, but I’m going to do my best to make this right. Your mother won’t get away with this. I love you. I’ve always loved you, and I always will. I didn’t protect you then, but I will now.”
I should tell him the past is the past, but I don’t. It’s time for her to face the music.
Without waiting for a response, he storms off, looking angrier than I’ve ever seen him. I hope he fucking burns her house down, kitchen table included.
Not having any interest in sitting where they just had sex, I slide down and sit on the ground right by Fallon. She wraps the blanket securely around herself and moves down to sit next to me, shoulder to shoulder. Both of us lean back on the lip of the lounge chair with our knees bent.
“Is hanging out in my dad’s backyard completely naked normal for you?” I ask playfully.
She smiles. “Sort of. Sometimes it’smybackyard,” she giggles as she says.
My face turns a bit more serious as I look at her. “I hope he tears her a new one and then removes her from his life. I’m sure he’s still giving her money. He should cut her off.”
Fallon sighs. “That’s not what’s best for Pierce. He’s just a sweet kid who wants his divorced parents to get along.”
“He’s not a kid, Fallon. He’s not nine, like Harper, he’s eighteen,” I remind her. “He needs to learn how to handle a little adversity. It’s time for him to grow a pair. He’s too much of a pushover.”
She gives me a small smile. “You and your father are so much alike.” She reaches toward me and tucks my hair behind my ear. “I’ve wanted to say that to you at least a million times in the past six months.”
“I wouldn’t know how alike we are or aren’t,” I sadly admit.
“He’d love nothing more than for that to change. He’s desperate to repair your relationship. It sounds like you’re starting to feel the same way,” she says hopefully.
“I want him to have a relationship with my child.”
She nods. “I know he’ll want that too when he finds out.”
I rest my head on her shoulder and admit, “I told Daylen I love him.”
“Really?” she practically squeals in obvious delight while kicking her feet in excitement. “What did he say?”
“That he loves me too. That he has for a while but knew I needed to be the one to say it first. He’s right about that. I would have freaked if he said it first.”
She blows out a breath in relief. “Good, can we tell your father now? Please? Keeping this secret from him has been killing me. I’ve had his secret I couldn’t tell you, and then your secret I couldn’t tell him. I’ve been going nuts.”
I lift my head and nod. “When my season is over. I can’t deal with any more drama until then. I’m teetering on the edge as it is.”
She moans in annoyance. “Crap. I’m not sure I can take a few more weeks of this. It’s so hard. Deceitfulness is an obvious trigger for him.”
“I saw the way you two interact. Do you love him?” I ask, even though it’s not really my business.
She turns her head so our eyes meet. “I do. Very much. Westill have some hurdles to overcome, but he’s the one for me. The one I feel I’ve waited a lifetime for.”
“What hurdles?”
She pulls herself up into a standing position and offers me a hand to help me do the same. She looks up at me warmly. “Want some hot chocolate with extra marshmallows?” she asks. “We can talk about all the hurdles, and I’ll answer any other questions I imagine you have.”
I nod. “I’d like that.”
TWENTY-NINE
DAYLEN
We’re all up in New York City for game six of the WNBA league championship. And by all, I mean my closest Camels teammates, my Cougars friends, and our Anacondas friends sans Kam and Cheetah, who are running late, per always.
