“What look?” I asked, feigning innocence.
“Stop whatever you’re thinking,” he said calmly. “Leave the boy alone.”
“But I can’t help it,” I whispered. “Look at him. He’s always here, sitting alone, barely talking to anyone. I bet he has problems at home.”
I gestured toward Daniel, who was completely oblivious to his surroundings, lost in thought. Something was clearly bothering him.
“Don’t compare yourself to him, Bailey,” Ashton said. “I’m pretty sure the only problem he has is being rejected by his crush.”
“How do you know that?” I challenged him.
“Because that’s exactly how I looked when my first crush broke my heart,” he replied casually.
I turned to him slowly, my face tightening. “And how old were you when that happened?”
“Probably ten or twelve. I can’t remember.”
“Oh my gosh,” I gasped. “How many girls did you date before I met you? I can’t believe I ended up with a playboy.”
I marched toward Daniel’s table, fuming, while Ashton laughed behind me.
“Daniel,” I said sternly, “don’t waste your time crying over some girl. It’s not worth it. Now stand up and make yourself useful by helping Eva in the kitchen, or I swear I’ll tell her to stop feeding you for free.”
Daniel stared at me, mouth hanging open.
I walked past Ashton, who was laughing so hard he had to grip a chair for support.
“I know you think the boy needs saving,” Ashton said, still amused, “but I think he’s going to survive just fine.”
I glanced back at Daniel, who was already heading toward the kitchen, his shoulders noticeably straighter.
Maybe Ashton was right.
Maybe not everyone who sat alone was broken.
And maybe this place, this life, had quietly become exactly what Marie had hoped it would be.
****************************
ASHTON
I was having the best time of my life, something I had never imagined my future could become.
At last, I was close to my son.
When Bailey first told Triston that I was his father, he accepted the truth without hesitation. During that first year, we talked constantly, over the phone and through video calls. He asked many questions, and I answered them as honestly as I could, especially the hardest one of all: why I had been absent for so many years.
He understood.
He told me that adults made mistakes, and what mattered was fighting to fix them and doing better. His forgiveness humbled me.
Once the custody agreement was finalized on Bailey’s terms, terms I willingly accepted, I made the biggest change of my life. I shifted my work to Michigan, working remotely for a week or two each month. I rented an apartment there so I could truly get to know my son.
It was not easy.
But it was worth every sacrifice.
I had never been happier.
