“You know,” Casey added, “Leo and I got together all because of a therapy appointment.”
“I love that story. What does that have to do with this?” I asked.
“Well, Delaney—you know, our therapist—she told us something that stuck with me.”
“Okay…”
“She said that in relationships, there are no guarantees. Ever. You don’t know how it’ll all go. So all you can do is learn to trust the big things. Like you love each other and you’ll both keep trying to do your best, that kind of big thing.”
I eyed her. “That’s it?”
“She makes it sound smarter,” Casey said with a shrug. “But yeah. Sometimes it helps just to have someone outside of your own head show you the way out of the weeds. If you overthink and want everything to always be okay, you're pretty much guaranteed to get tangled in the weeds.”
“There is no guarantee,” Luna chimed in. “You know that already. But not everyone’s going to do what your dad did. Most people don’t.”
I closed my eyes for a second. “Fine, fine…” I took a breath when I looked at them again. “Kincaid’s not even talking to me,” I said quietly. “I sent him a text last night. He hasn’t replied.”
“I don’t think that’s about you not telling him right away,” Luna said gently. “You needed time to figure it out, and he was out of town when you found out. That part makes sense.”
“I think it’s the trust part,” Casey said, her voice clear. “You pretty much told him you couldn’t trust him.”
“I didn’t say it like that—” I began before snapping my mouth shut.
“But it sounded like that,” she said.
“It’s just that I don’t have faith in the universe. I don’t have faith in life.”
Casey nodded slowly. “I get that. But maybe this is your opportunity to give the universe a chance.”
I snorted. “What does that mean?”
“This isn’t therapy or logic or science. Just… a feeling. Like maybe you’ve already been given your one big hurt. You know? The one that breaks something deep.”
I stared at her, feeling a stillness inside. “Go on…”
“Well, what your father did was rough. The betrayal to you and your mom, the devastation to your family. Kincaid isn’t going to do that. Maybe this is your chance to believe in something and someone again.”
Luna nodded along. “He already told you he loves you.”
“And,” Casey added, “he moved here because his mom wanted to come back to Alaska. He left behind his whole life to support her. You think that man’s going to bail on you?”
I blinked hard, my throat tightening. I didn’t know what I was going to do yet. But maybe I knew where to start.
“She wanted Kincaid to reconnect with where he was born. She loved it here. She wanted him to find his dad, and he did,” Casey continued. “The man bought a house with a mother-in-law apartment solely so he could take care of his mom. There aren’t a lot of people who would do that.”
“I don’t know if I would do that. It’s a huge commitment,” Luna said quietly.
Casey nodded. “Totally.”
“I know he’s a good man,” I murmured.
“So, talk to Kincaid, talk this through. Give him a chance. Give the universe a chance,” Luna said.
A few customers came in, and I slipped over to sit at an empty table. I was startled when I heard my name. I knew that voice. It was Shelly. I took a moment to gauge my body’s reaction. That old, stinging anger wasn’t even there anymore. I glanced over, offering a polite smile. “Hi, Shelly.”
“Do you mind if I say something?” she asked.
“Go for it,” I replied with a shrug.
