Page 224 of A Song for You

“Cat, you need to hear the song Jay sent today,” Chloe says as she settles herself on the counter while I do my hair. This is another new normal. She comes in while I’m getting ready, and we listen to Jay’s song. When it’s over, we chat about what she has going on for the day.

I never thought I’d care about what Lyla is wearing to the school dance or why Alana shouldn’t wear white when she has her period.

I never thought I’d be discussing periods with Chloe at all.

But here we are. And my daughter opens up to me more every day. Our relationship grows in an organic way. It almost feels easy. Normal. How it was meant to be.

“What song, Bug?”

She rolls her eyes and laughs, then she hits Play. Taylor Swift’s “Never Grow Up” comes on, making me blink back the prickle of tears. “He’s so embarrassing, Cat. But I can’t wait to hear him sing this one tonight.”

I clear my throat. “You’re actually going to Sophie’s tonight. I have that date.”

Her face falls. “Oh, I thought Jay mentioned Chinese food and watching America’s Got Talent.”

Swallowing hard, I busy myself putting my makeup away. “I’ll record it, and we can watch it tomorrow, okay?”

“Yeah,” Chloe says, but her tone is full of disappointment. She slides off the counter and heads for the door but stops when she reaches it. Looking back, she meets my eyes in the mirror. “Do you like Jay?”

I can’t help the laugh that escapes. We are so past like. Turning around and giving her my full attention, I reply, “Of course I do.”

“Then why are you dating other people?” she asks, her frown marring her face.

I sigh. “That’s not an easy answer, Chlo.”

While I believe in honesty, there are things I just can’t share with her. I’ll never tell her all the details about what happened between Jay and me because I would never want to jeopardize her relationship with her father.

“He likes you,” she counters.

“I know.” Scanning her face, I sigh. “It’s complicated.”

She bites at her nail, still watching me in the mirror. She’s working through her thoughts, and all I can do is be patient. None of this is easy for any of us. “I like it when he’s here.”

“He’s not going anywhere.”

She blows out a breath and nods. “Yeah, okay. I’m going to finish getting ready.”

As she leaves, the heaviness of the conversation hits me. We’ve been trying to give her time to catch up to what we feel, but if her comments this morning are any indication, she’s more than ready for the next step.

My little girl wants her family.

“What does a lemon say when it answers the phone?” Jay asks, sauntering into my office with breakfast in hand.

I quirk a brow. “Huh?”

“Yellow!” he sings, a cheeky smile pulling at his lips.

I snort a laugh. “Are you insane?”

He doesn’t reply. Instead, he sets the box down and rounds my desk. “Morning, beautiful,” he murmurs and presses his lips to mine.

“Morning, baby,” I hum before stealing another kiss.

Like every morning, I follow him to the other side of my desk so we can sit beside one another. We share one waffle now. Two seemed a bit overboard for the frequency with which we eat them, but I can’t seem to get myself to tell him to stop picking them up on his way in. These few minutes we share in the morning have become some of my favorites. Bringing a strawberry slice to my mouth, I study him while he cuts a piece of waffle for me.

“Have you heard about the chocolate record player?” he asks, holding his fork to my lips.

I shake my head and take his proffered bite.