We spend the next hour wandering through the fair. Maddie drags us to every booth, insisting we try the ring toss, the duck pond, and the cake walk. Piper wins a stuffed bear at the basketball throw, and Maddie refuses to let it out of her sight for the rest of the day.
At the bake sale table, I run into several parents I know from school drop-offs and pickups. They all greet Piper with the kind of knowing smiles that make it clear the entire town is already speculating about us.
"Dylan," one of the moms, Karen, says with barely concealed glee, "is this your girlfriend?"
I feel my face heat. "This is Piper. She is working on the festival content."
"Right," Karen says, drawing out the word. "Working."
Piper handles it with grace, smiling, shaking hands, and making small talk as if she has known these people for years. She fits in so easily that it makes my chest ache.
By the time we reach the bounce house, Maddie is vibrating with excitement.
"Can I go in? Please, Daddy?"
"Go ahead, bug. But be careful."
She kicks off her shoes and disappears into the inflatable castle with a squeal of delight.
Piper and I stand side by side, watching her bounce with reckless abandon.
"She adores you," Piper says quietly.
"The feeling is mutual," I reply.
"You are a really good dad, Dylan."
The compliment settles into me, warm and solid. "I try. Some days are harder than others."
"That is what makes you good at it," she says. "You show up even on the hard days."
I glance at her, and the sincerity in her expression makes it hard to breathe.
"Can I ask you something?" I say.
"Of course."
"The Seattle job. Are you going to take it?"
She hesitates, and I can see the conflict playing out across her face. "I don't know yet. It's a good opportunity. Stable income. Real security."
"But?" I prompt.
"But it means leaving," she says simply. "And leaving is starting to feel like the wrong choice."
My heart pounds. "Piper."
"I'm not saying I'm staying," she adds quickly. "I'm just saying that for the first time in my life, I'm not sure I want to leave."
I turn to face her fully, and the noise of the fair fades into the background. "What if I told you I don't want you to leave either?"
Her breath catches. "Dylan, you have Maddie to think about. You can't make decisions based on someone who might not stay."
"I'm not making decisions based on maybes," I say. "I'm making decisions based on what I feel. And what I feel is that you have become important to me, to both of us."
She stares at me, her eyes wide and vulnerable. "You are important to me, too."
"Then stay," I say, the words coming out more raw than I intended. "Not forever. Not yet. Just stay long enough to see where this goes."
