“Madison, she’s twenty-nine,” I said, keeping my tone calm.
“Almost half your age,” she shot back.
“I’m not even forty-four yet,” I reminded her, though it felt weak.
“Still, it’s gross. And Mom says she tries too hard.”
Kelly wasn’t wrong. Blake did try too hard, in ways that eventually turned me off. But that didn’t excuse what I’d done, or why it had been so easy to let things with Blake fizzle out.
“Madison, this is grown-up stuff.”
She leaned forward, her eyes sharp. “I think you’re forgetting how this kind of thing affects everyone else. It’s not just your life, Dad. You don’t get to drag us into something you’re not even sure about.”
I sighed. “You don’t have to worry. It ended.”
“Oh,” she said, leaning back. “I think that’s for the best.”
She has a point.
Before I could respond, she pushed her chair back and stood. “I have homework,” she said, turning toward the stairs.
“Madison.”
She paused but didn’t look back.
“I love you,” I said quietly.
“You too, dad.”
Later, I cleaned up the kitchen, wiping down the counters and loading the dishwasher. It wasn’t much, but it gave me a moment to think without interruptions. Once the kitchen was done, I headed upstairs to check on the kids.
Ivy was tucked into bed with a book in her hands, waiting for me to read with her. I smiled as I sat down beside her.
“Daddy,” she said after we finished the story.
“Yes, Ivy?”
“Can we have Bebe over this weekend?”
“We could maybe arrange that,” I said carefully.
Her smile widened as she snuggled under the covers. “Promise?”
“I’ll try,” I said, kissing her forehead. “Goodnight, Ivy.”
“Goodnight, Daddy.”
I left her room and made my way to the boys.
Chase was at his computer, deep into a game. I gave him a quick warning. “Are you done with your homework?”
“Yes, Dad.”
“Lights out by ten.”
“Okay, Dad,” he said, barely looking up.
Carter was next, sitting cross-legged on his bed, engrossed in a Nintendo game. I leaned against the doorframe. “Did you finish your homework?”
