Ellie squirms in my arms, and I set her down. She immediately grabs her favorite stuffed animal from the stuffy basket next to the sofa.
“El’phant,” she announces, holding it up.
“That’s a very nice elephant,” Nancy says with a watery laugh.
Ellie considers this, then toddles over and holds the toy toward the great-aunt she doesn’t even know.
“Oh.” Nancy crouches down. “Is this for me?”
“El’phant,” Ellie repeats, more insistent this time.
Nancy takes the stuffed animal as if the girl has gifted her the Hope Diamond. “Thank you, sweetheart. What’s your elephant’s name?”
Ellie babbles something incomprehensible and pats Nancy’s knee before moving toward the block tower again.
When Nancy looks up at me, tears shimmer in her hazel eyes. “I’m sorry. I promised myself I wouldn’t cry.”
I grab a tissue from the box on the counter and hand it to her. “It’s okay.”
“I always hoped Ellen and I would reconcile someday.” Nancy wipes her eyes. “That I’d get to know Julie again when she was older. I never imagined this.”
The front door bursts open, and Felix strides in, hair damp with sweat and a wildness in his eyes I’ve never seen before.
“How did you find us?” His voice is tight.
“Felix,” I cut in before Nancy can answer. “This is Ellie’s great-aunt, Nancy Harmon, who was sent here by the attorney you hired. The same attorney you’ve apparently been ignoring.”
He runs a hand through his hair but doesn’t deny it.
“Fee!” Ellie squeals, abandoning her blocks and racing toward him as fast as her little legs will carry her.
Felix lifts her into his arms, and she immediately wrinkles her nose. “Stinky Fee.”
He laughs, but there’s no joy in it. He presses a kiss to the top of her head, and I notice how sad his smile is, like he’s already bracing for a loss. Then he sets her back on the floor, and she returns to her blocks like this is still the ordinary day I was so pleased with earlier.
Nancy holds out a hand, and his giant one engulfs hers. “It’s good to meet you in person.”
“You too.” He doesn’t sound like he means it. “I wish the circumstances were different.”
“So do I.”
I watch them size each other up. Two strangers bound together by a little girl who doesn’t understand any of this.
“I think we should talk,” Nancy says when the silence stretches a beat too long.
Felix’s gaze flicks to me. I want to run. I want to grab my keys and drive until I’m so far away that my heart can’t feel the connection I have to this infuriating man. Instead, I plaster on a smile that says everything’s fine. I’m fine. We’re all fine.
I gesture toward the living room. “Let’s sit down.”
Ignoring the awkwardness of the situation, we arrange ourselves with Nancy on the armchair and Felix and me on opposite ends of the couch.
Ellie’s oblivious to all of it, happily playing with her toys like her life isn’t about to change again. But my heart is breaking, because everything has changed.
And Felix didn’t trust me enough to warn me it was coming.
29
FELIX
