Leo pulls us to a stop and fixes me with a stern look. “It doesn’t matter now and it didn’t matter then. Mom was right, you are the best girl around. And she’s gonna be so happy to know I found you again.”
He starts walking again, Violet skipping along between us, oblivious to the fact that I am so freaking mixed up inside. I miss Leo’s mom. She was such an amazing woman when she wasn’t in the trenches of her grief. Hearing that she had no idea what went on in my family is confusing, but then again, my parents kept things pretty quiet. And after I left for school, Mom moved away, too. So maybe news just never made it back to the Talbot house.
We reach the green space in the center of Dogwood Cove and Violet breaks free, running ahead on her little legs to the gazebo. She climbs the steps and starts to spin around.
“Seeing you with her,” Leo says, then stops, shoving his hands in the pockets of his shorts. “Fuck. I don’t know how to say it.”
“Just say it,” I whisper.
“It’s like a dream come true, but a dream I never knew I wanted. And then I feel so much regret that we missed out on this. Add in my anger at Alexa for walking away from her daughter, and then gratitude that shedidwalk away because it led me — led us — to you.” He lets out a low laugh. “It’s messed up. I know.”
“It’s not messed up. It sounds super familiar, honestly.”
He glances over at me, his mouth open in surprise. “Really?”
I nod and take one of his hands out of his pocket so I can weave our fingers together. “Yeah, really. I wanted this with you. A life, a family with you. I know you had your reasons for not wanting that, and I truly believed I could have given up my dream of being a mother. Which is why seeing that you found it with someone else hurts, even though she isn’t around. It hurts because I did this to us. I broke us. I’m the reason you had a child with someone who wasn’t me.” I pause, thinking through what I need to say next. “But then at the same time, that gratitude you feel? I feel it in a way, as well. Because Violet is amazing. And I can’t begrudge you for being with her mom at all, because Vi was the end result.”
His mouth is on mine before I can take a breath, and even though it’s a short kiss, it’s no less powerful.
“Thank you,” he breathes, his forehead on mine.
I want to ask why he’s thanking me, but our moment is interrupted by Violet running up to us, a fistful of dandelions in her hand.
“Fowlers!”
“Wow, look at those flowers, Vi, they’re so pretty.” Leo bends down and picks up his daughter, kissing her cheek. “But not as pretty as you are.”
Violet twists in his arms to face me, and holds out her hand with the flowers in it. “Pwetty fowlers, Rena.”
The way she says my name and the fact that it’s the first time she said it makes my heart melt into a puddle of goo. “Thank you so much, Violet. They’re lovely.” I take the flowers and try not to let the tears that are threatening to spill over.
“Tweat now?”
“Yeah, baby. Let’s go get a treat.” Leo shifts her onto one side and reaches out with his hand to me. Taking it feels momentous, somehow. And walking across the grass to The Nutty Muffin, something’s changed inside of me.
Some invisible force has decided for me that I can’t walk away from this man and his daughter.
Chapter eight
Leo
The day after taking Violet to dance class, I put my plan into action.
Operation Convince Serena to Give Me Another Chance.
It’s a long name, but it’s the best I can do.
“I don’t suppose you know what’s Serena’s favourite thing to eat?” I ask my cousin Kat while picking up my lunch from Camille’s café.
“Ooh, the pretty dance teacher? She either gets a chef’s salad or the prosciutto panini.” Kat grins at me widely, making me slightly regret involving her. “Why you asking, cuz? Trying to win her over?”
“More like trying to win her back,” I mutter, glancing around to see who might overhear. “Keep it between us though, okay?”
Kat mimes zipping her lips. “You got it. Secret is safe. But if you really want to woo her, you should go next door and get her a macaroon bar. Mila just created them last week and I heard Serena moaning about how good they were.”
An image of Serena moaning underneath me pops into my head, and I have to stifle my reaction to that.
“Thanks, Kat. Can you get the sandwich ready while I go and get one?”