Page 52 of Fake it With Me

Except it was fake.

Liza would leave in three weeks, and I’d be right back where I started, alone except for Daisie, trying to be enough for her when I so clearly wasn’t.

“Daddy, I’m tired,” Daisie announced, abandoning her reflection. “Can I go to bed?”

“Of course. Come on, let’s get you settled.”

I took her below deck to the stateroom she always used when we were on the boat. “You can watch a show while we head back to shore.”

She yawned and climbed into the bed. I handed her the remote.

“Did you have a good day?” I asked, tucking her in.

“The best day ever.” She yawned again. “I like Liza.”

“I know.”

“Can she stay longer?”

“Liza has her own life,” I said carefully. “Her own work and plans. She’s just visiting for a little while.”

“But she could stay if she wanted to, right? If you asked?”

“Maybe. But that’s grown-up stuff you don’t need to worry about. For now, just enjoy having her here, okay?”

“Okay.”

I tucked the blanket around her. I knew she would be asleep in no time.

I headed back up. The crew had cleared the dinner dishes and were busy preparing the yacht for the journey back to port. We’d be heading back soon, but for now, we were still drifting in the dark, stars overhead and ocean all around.

Liza was at the railing, looking up at the sky. I came to stand beside her, close enough that our arms brushed.

“She asleep?” Liza asked.

“She will be soon. Big day.”

“Big day,” she agreed.

“Do you want a drink?” I asked. “Another glass of wine?”

“No thanks. I’m good. I want to be totally sober for this view.”

“I agree.”

“We should probably get our story straight,” Liza said with a sigh. “For the evaluation and anyone that might ask. How we met, how long we’ve been together, all of that.”

“Right. Good idea.” I tried to focus on the practical aspects instead of the way she looked in the starlight. “So. How did we meet?”

“Through mutual friends in New York. That’s what you told people at the yacht club, right?”

“Yeah. We can stick with that. Keep it vague. Mutual friends, hit it off, started dating.”

“How long ago?”

“Two months? Three? Long enough to be serious but not so long that people would wonder why they haven’t heard about you before.”

“Two months works. That puts it before the custody stuff heated up.”