After their main course, they enjoyed hot apple crumble with vanilla ice cream for dessert.
“Do you know what strikes me?” Amy said to her mom and Matt. “You complement each other beautifully. Mom becomes more adventurous around you, Matt. And from what Stephanie’s said, you seem different when you’re with her, Matt.”
Stephanie nodded in agreement. “It’s true. Dad’s been more like his old self but somehow better.”
Lynda’s hand found Matt’s under the table, her fingers intertwining with his. The simple touch grounded him, and made the moment feel both surreal and perfectly real.
“I think,” Stephanie continued, “that we should try to make this a regular thing. I know it’s not easy flying to Montana with a family, but if we plan ahead, you might be able to buy cheaper tickets. The kids could get to know each other, and we could all...”
“Build something together,” Amy finished with a smile.
Stephanie nodded. “Exactly. Not that we want to add any pressure onto your relationship or anything,” Stephanie said to Matt and Lynda. “But it’d be nice to catch up regularly.”
Lynda looked at Amy and Stephanie. “Are you sure you haven’t met each other before? You’re more alike than I imagined.”
Amy laughed. “That’s Mom’s way of saying we’re bossy.”
Stephanie waved away Amy’s comment. “Don’t worry. Dad says the same thing about me.” With a grin at Lynda, Stephanie scooped a mound of ice cream onto her spoon. “Tell us about the house you saw. Dad said you were going to make an offer, Lynda.”
After hearing about the house, they got ready to leave the restaurant. As he helped Lynda put on her jacket, Matt watched Stephanie and Amy exchange phone numbers and make plans to coordinate their children’s visit. The ease with which they’d accepted each other, the genuine warmth in their interactions, gave him hope he hadn’t dared to feel.
Outside the restaurant, under the glow of the streetlights, Amy surprised him by pulling him into a brief hug.
“Thank you,” she said quietly. “For making my mother smile again. For helping her remember who she is beneath the weight of what happened with Dad.”
Matt nodded. “And thank you for welcoming me into your life,” he replied, meaning every word.
After he’d said goodbye to Lynda and Amy, he walked to his truck with Stephanie beside him.
“That went better than I hoped,” she said softly.
“Better than I dreamed,” Matt agreed, watching Lynda and Amy walk ahead of them, their heads bent together in quiet conversation.
“Dad?” Stephanie touched his arm, making him stop and look at her. “I like Lynda. I like them both. And Mom would like them too.”
The unexpected mention of Maria brought tears to Matt’s eyes. “I think she would, too,” he managed to say.
Standing in the parking lot, watching Lynda laugh at something Amy whispered to her, Matt felt the last of his reservations dissolve. This wasn’t just about him and Lynda anymore. It was about building something larger—a family that honored the past while embracing the future.
And that future felt not just possible but inevitable.
CHAPTER 25
Matt stood in his empty kitchen, still wearing the same clothes he’d worn to dinner. The silence inside his home seemed to press against the walls. Stephanie had driven back home twenty minutes ago, and the house felt cavernous without the conversation and laughter that had filled his truck on the ride home.
The evening had been perfect—better than perfect. Watching Stephanie and Amy connect so naturally, and seeing Lynda’s face light up as their daughters made plans for the grandchildren to meet, felt like they were building something real and lasting together. It should have left him content, peaceful, and ready for a good night’s sleep.
Instead, restlessness crawled under his skin like an itch he couldn’t scratch.
Matt loosened his collar and wandered into the living room, switching on the lamp beside his reading chair. A veterinary journal lay open on the side table where he’d left it that morning, an article about wildlife rehabilitation techniques half-finished. He picked it up, trying to focus on the words, but his mind kept drifting back to the dinner.
The look on Amy’s face when she thanked him for making her mother smile again was special. The easy warmth in Stephanie’s voice when she’d said her mom would like Lynda had affected him deeply. And when both daughters were organizing when their children could meet, it made him think that having a blended family was already a foregone conclusion.
He set the journal aside and rubbed his temples. Everything was falling into place so smoothly that it felt almost surreal. After fifteen years of careful solitude, of keeping his heart safely locked away, life was suddenly offering him everything he hadn’t dared to want.
So why did he feel like he was standing on the edge of a cliff?
Matt got up and paced to the window that overlooked the lake. Moonlight silvered the water’s surface, and he could see the faint lights of houses scattered along the far shore. Somewhere out there, Lynda was probably getting ready for bed, maybe talking to Amy about the evening. The thought made him smile despite feeling uneasy.
