Page 62 of Manhattan Kiss

“I’m not sad about your mommy getting married,” I say. “Are you sad?”

She scrunches up her face. “I want you to be my daddy. I don’t want Ray to be my daddy.”

It’s like a thousand tiny fists are squeezing my heart. I pull her into a hug.

I need to speak to Gabby. I have to grasp the nettle when it comes to Gabby’s request to end our nesting arrangement. None of this is going away. Gabby has been messaging me about it every other day. It’s like she’s scheduled the texts in advance. She doesn’t care if I respond or not. Most of the time I don’t bother, but when I do, I just try to buy time. I tell her that I’ll think about it or that I’m busy at the moment. But she’s relentless. I can tell she’s not going to give up on this. And maybe this could be a good thing for Willow. The way Aurora described her safety as constricting has made me think about things a little bit differently. More than anything, I want Willow to be happy. I need to be able to guide Willow through this change, not stand in the way of something that might be good for her.

Willow needs to know what change Gabby’s marriage will bring. She deserves that.

“I promise you, Willow, that I’m still going to be your daddy. Nothing’s going to change that.” I want to reassure her that Gabby getting married won’t change anything, but that’s a lie. It’s going to change everything about Willow’s life, right down to where she wakes up in the morning and which toys she gets to play with. But seeing Willow like this, makes me think about what Aurora said. About how safe isn’t always the best option. Even though the idea of Willow being a part of a happy family makes me seethe with jealousy, maybe that would be good for her. Like Aurora said, maybe this change is good.

“But Mommy’s getting married. Ray will be my daddy.”

“No one’s ever going to be your daddy except me. Ray will be an extra person in your family. Mommy getting married means you get more family. No one leaves.”

She looks up at me, her wide brown eyes just like her mother’s. “Will I still get to see you the same amount?” she asks.

“Yes,” I say. Over my dead body will Gabby change that. I will fight to the death. “I promise you.”

Lucia puts Willow’s dinner in front of her, and Willow picks up her fork. She blinks…long blinks, like she’s trying to let everything settle in her brain.

“And what about you?” Willow asks. “If Mommy is getting married, does that mean you’ll be lonely?”

“No, princess,” I say. “How can I be lonely when I have you?”

I think about Aurora. The last few days have flown because they’ve all been about her. Or work. Sunday was…incredible. Our connection is stronger than I’ve ever experienced before. I can’t get enough of her.

“But you don’t have a person to be married to like Mommy has Ray. What about when you don’t live with me. Are you lonely?”

“No, darling. Are you lonely when you’re at school?”

She shrugs and then says, “Sometimes I miss you.”

“Sometimes I miss you too. But I do lots of work and sometimes I see my friends.”

“What friends?”

“Lots of different friends.”

Aurora.

Aurora.

Aurora.

I shake my head, trying to get a break from the unrelenting thoughts of her.

“I don’t want you to be lonely, Daddy.”

I lean over and kiss the top of her head. “I don’t get lonely. Don’t you worry about Daddy.”

“Where do you live when you don’t live here? Mommy lives with Ray. They live in a house two streets away.”

“I stay in a hotel,” I say.

“Like when we go on holiday?” she asks, her eyes brightening.

“Exactly,” I say.