She laughed again, and the sound was so warm and enveloping I couldn’t help but smile.
“Which camp do you belong to?”
“I like to think I’m a realist.”
Briar raised her eyebrow. “Sounds like something a pessimist would say.”
I laughed, and it only had the smallest tinge of bitterness. “Well, you kinda can’t go through all I’ve been through and still be a total optimist.”
“I’m with you on the battle-weary bit. It’ll be a long time before I trust someone again the way I trusted Danny.”
“Word to the wise, never trust a man who still goes by the childhood diminutive of their name. I’ve never met a Danny or a Joey or a Ricky I’d trust as an adult.”
Briar giggled. “That’s definitely true for my ex. I wouldn’t trust him to watch my cat, and she pretty much takes care of herself.”
“You have a cat? I didn’t know that.”
“I have an orange tabby named Catniss. Or had. She’s not really mine anymore. We found out Danny was allergic, so my parents took her in. She’s been living with them for the past five years or so. I still like to think of her as mine though. She’s probably the best thing that came of my marriage, and she’s not even mine anymore.” Briar lifted her teacup and shook her head. “Dang, that’s a sad realization.”
“I get it. I think the same thing about my marriage when I look at Zoe. My marriage was a trainwreck too, but I’d go through it again if it meant I’d get Zoe at the end.”
“You’re lucky,” Briar whispered over the top of her teacup.
I blinked. That was definitely a different way to look at my past. Lucky? “How do you figure?”
The tone of my voice made Briar flinch, and she set her cup down with a jolt. “Sorry. It’s none of my business to comment on your past relationships. Or present ones, for that matter. I should get to bed.”
She pushed away from the table but stopped when I placed my hand on top of hers.
“Please don’t. I’m sorry. Again.” I shook my head. “I can’t seem to stop saying that to you tonight.”
Briar settled back into her seat and gave me a slight smile. “It’s refreshing, both because of what I said earlier about my ex, but also because it’s you.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Just that you haven’t exactly been the warmest when talking to me.” She looked down and bit her lip. “Before tonight I kinda got the impression you didn’t exactly like me.”
“I…” That took me back a second. “I guess I could see how you’d get that impression. But the reality is that I’m jealous.”
“Wait.You’rejealous ofme? Seriously?”
“Yeah, you get to spend all day with my daughter. That’s all I really want to do.”
Briar smiled and shook her head. “And that’s why I think you’re lucky. I wish I had a kid like Zoe. It’s all I’ve ever really wanted.” Briar looked away and muttered to herself, “but who knows if that’ll ever happen for me.”
But I still heard her. Why would she think that? What had she gone through? I wanted to ask, but I knew despite our short time getting to know each other tonight it wasn’t appropriate to ask. And I didn’t want to make her any more uncomfortable than she clearly was.
I cleared my throat. “I, uh, I definitely agree with you there. I just wish I could have more time with her. I feel like I’m missing out on so much.”
“Every working parent feels that way. But you’re doing what you have to for her future. And you’re an awesome dad. She’s loved and she knows it. She actually told me that today after we left the lot. ‘Dada lubs me.’ And she smiled so huge. It was so stinking cute.”
I smiled even as tears sheened my eyes. It was awesome to hear. “Thanks, Briar. That actually helps a lot.” I blinked a few times then quickly changed the subject. “So what else did you guys get up to today?”
Briar ran through the list—most of which I’d seen on the cameras. But I still loved hearing about it and watching the way Briar’s eyes shined as she talked about my daughter. I could see she was falling in love with Zoe too.
Finally, Briar leaned back and stretched. “I should get to bed. Zoe will be running circles around me if I don’t get enough sleep.”
I had to determinedly look away. That little stretch arched her back and made her tits…do something I wasn’t supposed to think about, let alone watch. “Same. Can’t have bags under my eyes on camera.” I collected our dishes and put them in the dishwasher. “This was nice, actually. Do you mind if we make this a nightly thing? I’d love to hear about your and Zoe’s day since I miss so much of it.”