Page 80 of The Coffee Bar on Camellia Court

"Your mom misses you," Alex added, crossing to her and resting his hands on her shoulders. "And you've missed her too."

Lena nodded reluctantly. "But what if she tries to take me to Greece?"

"She won't," Alex assured her, hoping his confidence wasn't misplaced. "The judge said you have to stay in Indiana, and your mom knows that."

A knock at the door interrupted them. Alex gave Lena's shoulders a gentle squeeze before going to answer it.

Melissa stood on the porch, her expression unreadable behind her sunglasses. When she removed them, Alex was startled by the puffiness around her eyes. More cosmetic surgery? Or had she been crying?

"You're late," he said, then immediately regretted the accusatory tone.

"Traffic," she replied simply, although the excuse was ridiculous. There was no such thing as traffic in Autumn Lake. Her gaze moved past him to where Lena stood flanked by Roxanne and Juno. Wariness flickered across her face, and Alex couldn't blame her for being worried. The two women looked a little threatening, he had to admit.

"Come in," Alex said, stepping back to allow her entry. "Melissa, this is my mother, Roxanne, and my girlfriend, Juno."

Melissa hesitated for a fraction of a second before walking inside. "Hello, Roxanne," she said with a politeness that sounded rehearsed. "And Juno. You own the coffee shop, right?"

Juno nodded and shook her hand. "Nice to meet you, Melissa."

"Come give mommy a hug," Melissa said to Lena, wobbling a little as she crouched down and opened her arms. Alex almost stepped forward to give her a hand, but he held himself in check.

Lena let out a little whimper and ran into her mother's embrace, throwing her arms around Melissa's neck in a fierce hug.

"Oh, baby. I've missed you so much," Melissa murmured into Lena's ear.

"I missed you so much, too, Mommy," Lena returned, not quite crying, but clearly overwhelmed by her emotions.

They stayed like that for quite some time, rocking side to side a little. The sight of the two of them, so alike and so different, reuniting in such a transparent display of emotions, softened Alex's heart toward the woman who had kept his daughter from him for the first several years of his life.

When Lena finally released her mother and Melissa rose, she lifted her chin in that defiant gesture she seemed to use a lot around him, and asked, "Why are they here?" Her question wasn't accusatory, but it was obvious she hadn't been expecting anyone but Alex and Lena.

"We need to talk," Alex explained. "Just you and me. They're here to keep Lena busy while we work some things out."

"Lena's bags are all packed," Roxanne said, breaking the tense moment. "Would you like something to drink, Melissa? We have iced tea, water, or coffee, if you'd prefer. And your daughter made these delicious cookies, too." She picked up the cookie platter and held it out, and Alex realized his mother was just as nervous about how today would go as he was.

"No, thank you." Melissa shook her head, then rested her hand on Lena's shoulder. "Actually, that's good. I mean, that you have someone to play with for a little bit, Lena." To Alex, she said, "I want to talk to you, too."

Alex hadn't expected this. Juno gave him a subtle nod.

"Of course," he said. "Why don't we go into the kitchen?"

"Lena, honey, come show me which pictures are your favorites," Juno suggested, picking up the stack of photo albums from the couch and leading the girl into her bedroom. Roxanne followed, giving Alex a fierce look that he understood perfectly. His gentle mother wouldn't say it out loud, but if Melissa was here to cause trouble, Roxanne wanted him to know she had his back.

I am a lucky man,he thought as he watched his three favorite ladies head off down his short hallway.

In the kitchen, Melissa leaned against the counter, her arms wrapped around herself in a defensive posture. She looked smaller somehow, more vulnerable than he'd ever seen her.

"You look well," she said after a moment. "Fatherhood suits you."

"Thank you." Alex kept his distance, unsure of her mood or intentions. "I appreciate you saying so. Lena is, well, she's a real miracle, isn't she?" Now he was starting to sound like his mother. "Is everything okay, Melissa? Have you—" He gestured at his eyes, hoping he wouldn't offend her. "Have you been crying?"

She let out a short, humorless laugh. "Crying. Freaking out. Getting work done while I've been stuck in this one-horse town." She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, and Alex noticed her hand trembling slightly. "I hope Daniel will be pleased with his investment," she added, dipping her chin toward her cleavage.

Alex said nothing, nor did he allow himself to let his eyes wander where she so obviously meant for them to. "I'm sorry you've been upset," he said, and he meant it. "I really want to talk with you about custody. I don't want to fight with you, especially not over Lena. I'd like us to come up with a solution we both can agree on."

Melissa sighed, then moved to the table and dropped bonelessly into a chair. She waited until he took a seat across from her. "I'm not going to fight you for custody, Alex."

The words took a moment to register. "What?"

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