Page 49 of Falling for Keeps

“Oh, Penny,” Emma says, her voice infused with compassion. “She deserves better.”

“Exactly. But if I stand my ground and take the phone, Penny only sees me getting in the way and being controlling. She doesn’t have enough maturity yet to understand the full scope of the situation.”

Emma reaches for my hand and tugs. I’m so stunned, I don’t resist. Her arms slide around my waist and up my back while her head rests against my chest. It takes longer than it should to realize she’s hugging me. Tears prick my eyes and threaten to spill over. I put my focus into wrapping my arms around her back, inhaling her shampoo. She’s warm and soft and smells like apples and wood stain.

Breathing in the cool autumn air and Emma, I sink into the hug, pushing everything off for a minute and enjoying the moment. Energy buzzes between us, but she’s not putting any moves on me. She’s being a friend when I need one. She’s letting me lean on her, literally, while I pull myself together.

“You know,” she says, her voice rumbling against my chest. “It doesn’t have to be all or nothing with the phone.”

I close my eyes, inhale, and enjoy this feeling, memorizing her hands on my back and my arms around her. We fit together like we were made to, which makes it all the more difficult to pull away. Emma untangles herself from me and steps back, her cheeks flushed and eyes bright.

“What do you mean?” I finally ask.

“You want her to have access to her mom, right? The phone can do that, but you can get parental controls and block any apps you don’t want her to access. Or pick a place in the house for the phone to live. She can check it or call her mom, but the phone stays right there.”

“Like a glorified house phone, but her own dedicated line,” I say thoughtfully.

“Just spit balling here.”

“Yeah, but it’s good.”

“It’s working around a hard thing you didn’t ask for and finding a solution that’s good for everyone. That’s all you can do, Carson. The rest is out of your hands.”

“Dad!” Penny screams from across the road. “Dad! Dad! I want to show you something!”

I cringe. “She’s so excited,” I whisper.

Emma gives me an encouraging smile. “You can only do your best. Quit putting all this pressure on yourself to be perfect. You are exactly what she needs.”

Tears flood my eyes, which is awkward, but she said what I needed to hear. “Thanks, Emma.”

I turn toward my daughter with a little more hope than I had twenty minutes ago.

Emma

Penny looks both ways before racing across the road and meeting her dad at the edge of my property. Her blonde hair trails behind her, and she has a decided hop in her step. The girl is practically roller skating on cloud nine.

“Look, Dad!” She holds up a pink iPhone that’s nicer than the one I’ve owned for three years, grinning widely. “Mom sent me a phone!”

Carson’s smile is stiff. “That must have been really exciting, Pen.”

She looks right at me. “Can I have your phone number, Emma? I can text now!”

I look at her dad for guidance.

He puts an arm around her, squeezing. “Okay, we’ll talk about this later, Nickel. You have to agree to some rules before that thing is officially yours.”

Her eyes round, chin nodding fervently. “I will. I’ll follow every rule.”

“We’ll talk about it at home.”

“Are we still going to the pumpkin patch? Emma!” She faces me right as my phone buzzes against my leg, stuffed in the thin pocket of my leggings. “Do you want to come with us? We’re picking out our pumpkins. It’s October now.”

“It is,” I say, unable to dampen my grin against her enthusiasm. “That’ll be really fun for you.”

“Can you come?”

“Oh, I better⁠—”