In her mind’s eye Sophia could picture an adorable, pint-size version of Caleb. He would have stood out in a crowd. Charming and hilarious.
“We must’ve crossed paths as children, right?” Caleb asked. “This town is pretty small.”
Sophia let out a raucous laugh. “Maybe, but I think that I would have remembered you if we had. For a while after my parents divorced, I went to live with my mom in Homer, so we probably missed that connection.”
Caleb scrunched up his nose. “To this day I hate that word. The D word.”
She reached out and touched his gloved hand. “Why? It’s just a word.”
“Not to me. It’s the thing that changed everything in our lives. It’s the reason we had to leave Moose Falls.”
“I get it. For me it was almost a relief from all the stress around the house. Other than having to live in Homer for a few years, it wasn’t horrible.” She bit her lip. “I just wish that my dad had found someone else to love. He’s been alone all this time.”
“Have you ever asked him if he’s looking for love? He might be content being single.”
“I’ve hinted a few times, but he always shuts me down,” Sophia admitted. It wasn’t a comfortable topic with her dad even though they shared a tight bond. Sophia had a hunch that her dad didn’t want to be vulnerable in a relationship again. Of all people, Sophia understood that predicament. Once bitten, twice shy. Donny had taken a bite out of her that had left permanent marks. Putting herself back out there wasn’t easy.
But meeting Caleb made Sophia want to take a chance. If she didn’t, she would always regret it.
“My mom has been single for a long time and, honestly, it doesn’t bother her. I think her rationale is that she had a big love and in the end things didn’t work out.”
“What about Red? I don’t know him very well, but I don’t recall hearing him linked up with anyone here in town.”
“I have no idea. Our relationship was nonexistent for many years. Our entire childhood basically after we moved to Arizona,” Caleb explained in a tone laced with sorrow. “I can’t imagine being an absentee father. Why did he allow that to happen?”
“Sounds like something the two of you might want to spend some time repairing,” Sophia suggested.
“We’re working on it, but it’s slow going. I want to ask him so many things, but the words just keep getting stuck in my throat.”
“Why do you think that is?” Sophia asked. She was finding out more and more about this man as time progressed, and this was baffling. He wasn’t bashful or awkward, so why was he having such a hard time talking to his dad?
“Because a part of me doesn’t want to know the answers,” Caleb said. “Sometimes it’s better just to stick your head in the sand.” He shrugged. “Sometimes the truth hurts.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The snow machining adventure with Caleb couldn’t have gone any better, Sophia thought as she sat down in her breakfast nook to eat her toast, blueberries, and scrambled eggs. He was such a fun person to be around. Yesterday he had peeled back his layers and shown a side of him that was vulnerable. Talking about his childhood and his relationship with Red had been a bit of a surprise. Listening to him had given her so much insight into the things that had shaped him. She had slept in this morning but had awoken thinking of Lily, only to remember she was with Donny until noon. Lily had only been away for less than twenty-four hours, yet Sophia missed her little girl like nobody’s business. Her heart and mind were all over the place. Making sure Donny was in his daughter’s life was important, but she resented the fact that she always had to be the bigger person.
When Donny brought Lily home, Sophia threw her arms around her as if she hadn’t seen her in weeks. Lily tugged Donny by the hand and brought him into the house.
“I want to show Daddy my dollhouse. Okay?” Lily asked,practically dragging Donny through the house and toward the playroom.
“Sure thing,” Sophia said, clenching her teeth. She was working overtime trying to pretend as if nothing were wrong. Lily needed to see a united front between her parents at all times. Sophia didn’t even want to make eye contact with him, knowing she might end up glaring. She was trying her best to be cordial, but all she could think about was his threat to sue for custody after doing the bare minimum with his daughter. It would never sit right with her.
Sophia sat in the den while Lily exuberantly showed off her dollhouse to Donny. She had to hand it to him. He always made their daughter feel special and loved. It was a damn shame that his presence in her life was so erratic. Lily would have benefited greatly from him being around more. She lit up with excitement every time he was around. Sophia didn’t want Lily going through life with daddy issues and searching for love in all the wrong places.
After about twenty minutes, the sound of the playroom door being shut followed by Donny’s approaching footsteps caused her to swing her gaze toward the doorway. He was standing there, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other. She had no intention of making things easy for him. If he had something to say to her, he just needed to spit it out.
“I have something for you. Here,” Donny said, stepping closer and handing her an envelope.
“What is this?” she asked, tensing up. Was he serving her custody papers in her own house?
“Open it,” he said. “It’s not what you think.” He shoved his hands in his jean pockets and watched her. With his dark hair and deep-set eyes, he looked like a brooding bad boy.
She opened the envelope and pulled out a check. She tooka quick look at it, letting out a surprised sound at the large amount. She swung her gaze up to meet Donny’s. “What brought this on?”
“I want a fresh start with my daughter, and that means I have to make things right with you,” he explained, his voice quavering. “I’m trying to play catch-up.”
Sophia was so floored by Donny giving her this check for back child support that it rendered her speechless. He didn’t sound cocky or brash; he sounded sincere. Although she was happy he had finally done the right thing, she had to wonder what had really changed. Why was he making this grand gesture?
