Page 55 of Baby for my Daddy's Best Friend

“Thanks, Laurie. You don’t know it, but you’ve helped me a lot.”

“That’s what I’m here for.”

When I hang up, I decide I no longer want to soak in my own misery. I still have a few days left until my flight back home, and I need to make the most of it.

My phone buzzes with a text message.

Dad:Whatever is going on between you and Chet ends NOW!

16

ENZO

Iretreattothepond underneath the tree where Valentina and I carved our initials.

It’s the place I go to whenever I needed some peace from the chaos in my life.

To say that I’m in shock that Quinn is Michael’s daughter would be the understatement of the year.

When I tried running after Quinn, he stopped me and told me to stay away from her.

Michael is one of my closest friends, and our relationship is in jeopardy over what happened.

He’s had some time to calm down, so I dial his number again.

We really need to talk this out like adults.

“Hey, it’s Michael. Leave a message.”

Voicemail, again.

It’s the same answer each time I try to reach out to him. At this point, I don’t even know if he’s still in the country.

I don’t even bother dialing Quinn. She’s ignored every single one of my calls.

And strangely, I’m glad because it gave me more time to decide my feelings about the situation.

What am I even going to say to her? Am I ready to offer a relationship to her? A commitment isn’t something I’m keen on being a part of, but the idea of her leaving my life entirely isn’t something I can accept either.

I close my eyes, and her face flashes in front of me.

Quinn and I, sitting by the water, my arm around her.

I can live with that if we somehow manage to resolve this situation with Michael.

But then, the image disappears as I remember my children.

Am I willing to risk disappointing them just because I want to pursue Quinn?

I have never been one to second guess myself, but with Quinn, I’m so torn. I can’t fully be with her, but I can’t bear to imagine being without her either.

And right now, it seems like she’s slipping out of my grasp.

“I’ve been looking all over for you.”

Luciana taps me on my shoulder, and I quickly replace my brooding expression with a smile.

“I just came out here to get a breath of fresh air.”

---