Page 56 of Child of Mine

“Yeah. That is a good thing.”

“Oh, hey. Can you take a photo? Or get one and send it?”

This has me smiling. “You don’t need it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just find one of yourself from first grade. She looks exactly like you.”

“Aww. Now I definitely need to meet her. When are you going to see her again?”

“I don’t know. The mom and I are going to try to come up with a plan after work tomorrow.”

“You’ll be fine, Henry.”

“I want to be better than fine.”

“That’s why I love you and why you’ll be a good dad. Call me tomorrow.”

“Love you too.”

After I hang up, I’m not exactly confident, but I have more hope. Whether or not I’m able to change my personality, Lilah will be welcomed into the loving—if pushy—arms of my extended family. Maybe I’ll even feel more like I belong.

* * *

BELLA

Henry said he’d meet me outside the station at the end of the workday, but I’ve been sitting in my car for ten minutes and he hasn’t shown.

See, he doesn’t really care about Lilah,Quinn says.

Maybe something important held him up,Izzy counters.

I’m just about to go back in to ask if he forgot when he pushes out of the front doors. When he scans the parking lot, I wave until he sees me. “Sorry,” he pants after sprinting to my car. “I was in a meeting with some Boston Brahmin types that just wouldn’t stop talking.”

“Foundation people?”

“Yeah. I hope I convinced them to meet our larger budget asks.”

“That’d be good.” I nod.

He sighs and drops his head, hands on his hips. “Do you, uh, want to go somewhere and talk?” He meets my gaze, his expression unreadable. “I don’t suppose my place is a good idea.”

“Yeah. No. Not a good idea right now.” I drag my hands off the steering wheel. “One thing at a time.”

He nods. “Right. So…”

“How about we go over to the park that runs along the Charles? We can walk and talk there.”

“Sounds good. I’ll follow you?”

“Sure.” I peek at the entrance to the studio to make sure no one is watching us leave together. Another thing we have to figure out: what and when to tell our coworkers.

Izzy and Quinn are strangely silent during the short drive to the River Basin parking lot. Then Henry and I are awkwardly silent as we get out of our cars and find our way to the path along the river. I’m not sure what’s going on in Henry’s head, but I’m still paralyzed by the contradicting thoughts and feelings bouncing around in my own after that conversation with my mom last night.

“I’m still angry,” Henry finally says. “But after talking to my sister last night—”

This has me stopping in my tracks. “You told your sister? I thought we were keeping it between us until we—”

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