“Go ahead,” I told her.
She grinned and hurried to see what had her phone buzzing constantly.
Reegan raised an eyebrow in question.
“No phones at the table,” I told her.
“Not a bad rule.Then you actually talk to each other.”
“Exactly.When she first got a phone, it was like an extra limb.Not that I can say anything.I’m the same sometimes.”
“I think we all are.But it’s good to have connections.Sometimes we forget that the connections we make in person have to count, too.”
I reached for her hand and brushed my thumb over her wrist.
She gasped, her eyes dilating.She bit her lip.
God, she was beautiful.Not just that, but she spent all evening talking to my kid like Evie was important.Reegan didn’t rush to tell Evie what to do or how to think.She asked questions and got to know Evie in a way few people I’d known had done.
“Dad, can I go out with Maddie and Katie?”Evie asked from the living room.
“Where are you going?”
“Jeffrey is having some friends over.People we all know.We’re all going to hang out there, unless we get bored.”
I looked closely at my kid.After I learned of her crush on Maddie’s older brother, I worried.She was young and inexperienced with boys, as far as I knew.Boys weren’t always thoughtful when it came to the girls around them.Especially boys who were in college and younger girls who had crushes on them.Jeffrey was a good kid, but he was still male, which meant he still had a propensity to think with his dick.“How late?”
Evie looked at her phone again.“Katie said she can be here in a few minutes, then we’ll be back by one.”
I nodded.“Okay.But be careful.And if you go anywhere other than Maddie’s house, let me know.”
“I will.Thanks, Dad.”She threw her arms around my neck in a quick hug, then hurried to her room.I had no doubt she was going to change into something she hoped would catch Jeffrey’s attention, but I wasn’t going to tell her not to.She was almost eighteen, and in two weeks, I’d be dropping her off at college.
“Close friends?”Reegan asked, drawing my attention back to the present.
I nodded.“Best friends.Maddie is Oscar’s niece.The three girls have been besties forever.It’s the one thing Evie is worried about.They’re all going to different colleges, so they won’t be together.”
“They’ll all make new friends, and they’ll be able to see each other when they’re home for their breaks.Sometimes we need the chance to fly without the people we’ve always held on to.”
I studied her closely, wondering who she was thinking about.The look in her eyes made me want to hold her tight and never let go.Was she thinking about her ex?The one she mentioned a few times?
I didn’t have time to ask before Evie rushed back into the room.She hadn’t changed, but she was wearing more makeup than before.Mascara and lipstain from what I could tell.Both highlighted her features in ways that would be hard to ignore, if someone was watching.
“Thank you for coming over tonight, Reegan.It was really good to meet you, officially, as my dad’s… date?”
“It was nice to meet you, too, Evie.Have fun with your friends.”
“Thanks.”Her cheeks pinked, and I knew she wasn’t just going to see her friends.She wanted to see Jeffrey.
I stood and followed Evie to the entryway while she put on her shoes.“Be safe, okay?”
“I will.”She glanced behind me and leaned closer.“I really like her, Dad.And even more than that, I like the way you look when you’re around her.She makes you happy.That is enough for me, but she’s also really cool.”
“She’s leaving in a few weeks,” I said, keeping my voice low.I knew Evie picked up on the pain in my voice when her eyebrows jumped.
“Doesn’t mean you love her any less, though, does it?”
I exhaled a laugh at my far-too-insightful kid.“No, it doesn’t.”
