Every time I close my eyes, I see Zora’s face when I confronted her.The guilt.The fear.The silence that gave me the truth I’d begged for.But underneath that, I saw her.
Ivy.A name that lived in me now, sharp and endless.A girl I haven’t met but can’t stop imagining.Six years of a life I haven’t been allowed to touch or even observe from a distance.
I want to scream.To rage.To tear the world apart for stealing her from me.But as the night bleeds into morning, another thought breaks through the storm in my mind.She didn’t ask for this.None of it is Ivy’s fault.
If I come at this situation with anger, if the first memory my daughter has of me is a man red-eyed and spitting fire, then I’ll lose her before I even have the chance to get to know her.The thought guts me more than any fight ever has.
So, when the sun breaks, weak and pale on the horizon, I drag myself up and take a shower so hot it scalds me.I shave for the first time in a week and force myself into a clean shirt.I need to look like someone who will show up.Not someone Zora can point at and say, “See?This is why I kept you away.”
On the way into town, I stopped at a florist, standing like an idiot in front of rows of blooms I don’t understand.The clerk suggests lilies.Too much.Roses.Too obvious.I settle on a soft bouquet of wildflowers—simple, bright, alive.
For Ivy, I duck into the toy aisle of a department store.My chest clenches tight as I pick up a plush teddy bear, soft and golden with a bow around its neck.It feels awkward in my hands, like I was trespassing in a life that has gone on without me.But it is a start.
By the time I pull up outside Zora’s small house, my palms are slick on the steering wheel, my heart hammering harder than it ever did in the middle of a fight.I stand on her porch, flowers in one hand, teddy bear in the other, feeling like a fool and a warrior all at once.
When the door opens, Zora blinks at me, surprise flashing across her features.She is wearing soft leggings and an oversized sweatshirt, her hair loose around her shoulders, eyes tired but still wary.
“Maverick,” she whispers, like she isn’t sure if I’m real.
I hold out the flowers first, then the bear, my voice rough but steady.“These aren’t for me.The flowers are for you.The bear’s for her.”
Her throat worked as she stared at them, then at me.“Mav—”
I cut her off before she can shut me down.“I’m not here to fight, Zora.Not this time.”I swallow hard.“I’m furious, Zora.I won’t pretend I’m not.You kept her from me, and I’ll never forgive that.But she doesn’t deserve my anger.She deserves better.”
Her eyes shine, tears threatening again.“It’s not that simple.”
“It’s exactly that simple,” I snap, then force my voice lower.“I’m her father.And I’m standing here asking you to give me a chance to know my daughter.Just a chance.”
Her gaze flicks to the teddy bear, her jaw trembling.“Mav, I was trying to protect her.”
“I know.”The words scrape out of me.“I know I was a mess back then.But I’m here now.And I’m not walking away.Not again.”
For a long moment, she doesn’t move.Just stands there, breathing too fast, staring at me like I’m a ghost she can’t banish.
Slowly, she reaches out, taking the flowers with one hand and the teddy with the other.Something inside me cracks open at that small gesture.
“I need time,” she whispers, clutching them to her chest.“She’s my whole world, Maverick.I can’t just ...let you walk into her life without thinking this through.”
I nod, throat tight.“Take your time.But don’t shut me out.Not anymore.”
Her lips press together, but she doesn’t slam the door.Doesn’t throw the gifts back at me.
A small voice floated from down the hall, light and curious.“Mommy?Who’s at the door?”
The sound nearly drops me to my knees.Zora’s eyes widen, panic flashing across her face.She steps back quickly, blocking the hall from view.My chest caves in, but I don’t push past her.I can’t.Not like this.
Instead, I lock eyes with her, letting her see everything in me—the fury, the ache, the desperate plea.
“Please,” I whisper.“Just let me know her.”
Her eyes glisten, lips trembling.“I’ll think about it.”The words aren’t much.But they are more than I had yesterday.
I step back, nod once, then forced myself to turn and walk away before the storm inside me breaks loose.Because for the first time in six years, there is a sliver of light cutting through the dark.
And I’m not going to stop until I step into it.
