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“Great. See you then.”
I hang up, feeling happy for the first time in a long time. I never wanted there to be any bad blood between the Stanfords and me. Until it is time to go, I have a couple of hours to kill, so I spend it double-checking where everything is in the loft. Noah’s office has a ton of files stacked around the room, so I assume he would rather I stay out.
And unless there’s a place nearby that offers delivery, I still need to go food shopping. I hate grocery shopping and would always ask Cassie to do it. After she got sick, Vivian and my mother did it for me. At 5:45 PM, I stand in the closet, peering at the clothes I have hanging there. I’m not sure what to wear, so I decide to go casual and slip on a pair of black jeans, one of my white fisherman’s sweaters, and a pair of sneakers. Lastly, I slip on my leather jacket before I’m out the door a little after six. I wonder if Lexi will say anything about all the weight I lost, like everyone else I’ve talked to. I could seriously gain about twenty-five pounds and still be underweight. I hope I can get back into shape by the summer.
The walk to her apartment takes me less than ten minutes, and when I get inside, I give my name at the desk. They send me right upstairs, and when I get out of the elevator, JC is waiting at the open door with a little boy clinging to his leg. I smile.
“Who is this little man?” I ask.
“This is Johnny. Can you say hi to Lucian?”
Johnny sticks his finger in his mouth and hugs tighter to JC’s leg.
“Hello, Johnny,” I say, and hold out my hand to shake his. He turns his face into his father’s leg, and I laugh.
Further inside, a little girl is toddling around the foyer. When she spots me, she comes over and holds her arms out. I pick her up, and JC tells me that her name is Arabella. She looks like Lexi while Johnny looks like JC.
Lexi, who is in the kitchen putting a salad together, turns to wave. I can smell something delicious cooking too.
“Lucian, it’s so good to see you. Come, hug me.”
I gently put Arabella down and move to hug Lexi. She hasn’t changed a bit in the few years that it’s been. She’s still just as beautiful.
“You lost weight,” she comments.
“Yeah, I wasn’t eating much while I was away.”
She looks at me, worriedly. “Are you eating now?”
“Eating better,” I say, but not wholly convincing. “Just getting my appetite back.”
“I hope you brought it because we have pizza and baked ziti. I also made some garlic bread and meatballs.”
“Wow, you spoil me.”
JC, who is standing behind me, laughs and says, “She spoils everyone with food. I have to work out twice as hard to maintain my girlish figure.”
We all chuckle and sit down to dinner once Lexi has everything placed. I spend several hours with them after dinner is finished, stuffed with food. We talk about what is going on in our lives, and I enjoy being in good company again. I haven’t spent much time with JC, but I can immediately tell that he’s a good guy. I’m happy my niece is marrying into such a sweet family.
At 11:00 PM, I leave with the promise to get together with them more often. My only regret is that I didn’t ask more questions about Olivia. Lexi told me all about Megan and how well she is doing. She also promises me that she’ll speak to her about us getting together to talk. Our relationship ended so abruptly that it’s better we get everything out before we meet during wedding festivities.
Before leaving their place last night, Lexi gave me Megan’s number, so I text her the next morning asking if she could call me. When I don’t hear from her right away, I figure she’s not willing to bury the hatchet.
Biding time, I go to work out and then shower. When I press the home key on my phone, after I’m dressed, I notice that not only had Megan called, but she left a voicemail. Hands shaking, I retrieve the phone, but I can barely hold the cell as I press play. Her voice, so much like Lexi’s, fills the room, making my stomach knot.
“Lucian, I want to talk. I don’t have any bad feelings. I’m happy. I have a fiancé and a son, CJ. Call me back when you get a chance.”
Rather than reacting badly, it feels like a weight has been lifted off me. A smile stretches across my lips, and I notice that my hands are no longer shaking. What was I so worried about? Relieved, I call her back, hoping we don’t have to play phone tag. She answers immediately, and I hear a child in the background.
“Megan, it’s Lucian.”
“So nice to hear from you. Look, I’m not angry with you. I thought you were angry with me.”
I laugh mirthlessly. “I was for a long time, but I got over it. I met someone, and we got married, but I lost her. She was sick.”
“I heard, and I’m sorry for your loss.” Her voice lowers. “How are you doing?”
“I’m getting along. It takes time. The reason I called was that I wanted to talk to you about Hunter and Rory. I don’t want to be the cause of any tension on their big day, so I thought we could just discuss being civil to each other for their sake.”
“We don’t need to be civil. We can be friends. Are you okay with that?”
“I… yes. I’d like that.”
“Then the past is forgotten,” she replies simply, “We can be friends. I’d like to introduce you to my fiancé, Chase, and son, CJ, sometime.”
For a bit, she tells me all about her fiancé and how they came to be. I don’t mention that I already read about what happened with her deceased brother in law and how he kidnapped her son. We chat for another few minutes before I tell her that we should get together sometime and catch up in person. She agrees. After we hang up, my chest is no longer tight. Things are working out well, I tell myself. I wish Megan could have met Cassie—I know she would have liked her.
