Page 79 of A New Chapter

Chapter 36

A few days later, Zack found a quiet time to talk to Gracie about Emma. Damian was out, presumably with Kelly, and Emma was working, so that left Zack and Gracie home alone.

Gracie sat on the couch, flipping through a new Little Critter book that Emma had recently given her. Zack sat down beside her, and she snuggled close.

“Will you read to me, Daddy?” she asked politely.

“I will in a minute. First, I want to talk to you about something.”

“Ok,” she said, and she shifted her little body to face him.

Zack reached out and ran his hand over her wavy dark hair. As often as he’d looked into his daughter’s eyes, he couldn’t get over the fact that she was his. Even though he was no longer with Alicia, he would always be grateful for the beautiful gift that she’d given him.

“Gracie,” he began, feeling uncertain of how to proceed. “How do you feel about Miss Emma?”

“I love Miss Emma,” she replied immediately. “She’s pretty and funny, and she tells the best stories. Better than you, Dad.”

Zack chuckled at her honesty. “Well, I like her a lot too, but you probably already know that, right?”

“Um-hmm,” Gracie nodded.

“And you don’t mind that she spends a lot of time with us?”

“I wish she could stay here all the time!”

Gracie’s admission caught him off guard, and he swallowed around the large lump in his throat.

“Do you really mean that, Gracie?”

She nodded again.

“I want you to know something. Someday, if Miss Emma stays here all the time, that doesn’t mean that she’s trying to take Mommy’s place.” Zack cleared his throat, thinking that this was a lot harder than he imagined it to be. Not for Gracie, but for him. “You already have a Mommy, and she loves you very very much, but Miss Emma loves you too. Do you understand?”

“Kind of like Robby. He has two daddies, his real one and his other one that drives him to school.”

When Gracie said that, Zack realized that a lot of other kids were in the same situation as her. He had been so caught up in trying to shield Gracie that he hadn’t even considered that she’d be exposed to the topic of divorce with or without his protection.

“Yes, kind of like that.”

“If I get to have another mom, I hope it will be Miss Emma,” Gracie said solemnly.

Zack gathered her in his lap and held her close. “I hope so too,” he said, and he realized in that moment, just how much he meant it.

“Can I go play now, Dad?” Gracie had already squirmed off of his lap and was halfway up the stairs.

“Yes,” he replied. “Thanks for the talk,” he added when he heard her bedroom door slam.

“Does Emma know that you love her?”

Zack jerked his head around at the sound of Damian’s gruff voice. “Dude, you almost gave me a heart attack. Don’t sneak up on me like that.”

Damian sauntered into the room and plopped down on the reclining chair. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“Not yet,” Zack replied, settling back on the couch.

“What are you waiting for?”

“Easy for you to say, Mr. Footloose-and-fancy-free.”