Page 128 of From Nowhere

“Addie and I were playing basketball, and the ball kept landing in the rosebushes, breaking some branches.”

“Well, that’s not good,” I say. “But that’s not what we want to talk about.”

“Then what?” Lola shifts her wide-eyed gaze to Tia and Amos.

“Maren wants us to move in with her,” I say just as Tia opens her mouth to speak.

Lola gasps. “Really? You’re getting married?” She practically falls out of her chair with excitement.

Tia pins me with an I-told-you-so gaze. Someone, somewhere along the way, instilled it into my daughter that men and women don’t live together until they’re married. And maybe that should be every father’s dream, but it’s not every boyfriend’s dream.

Boyfriend.

There’s something about adults calling themselves boyfriends and girlfriends that sounds juvenile and just wrong.

Partner?

That conjures up other things that don’t fit either.

“Lola, no. We’re ...” I shake my head, fighting frustration. “Sometimes people live together—adultslive together even if they’re not married.”

“Living in sin?” Lola narrows her eyes. “That’s what Nana said about Uncle Leroy living with his girlfriend.”

Eyeing Tia, I give her my bestgratefulsmile. Sure, it might look murderous to someone else, but it’s not. I’m incredibly thankful that she’s taken the time to pass along her standards of morality tomydaughter.

Tia sits up a little straighter with an air of smugness. She hasn’t had to say a word because she’s already brainwashed my daughter, molding her into a judgmental disciple spewing Tia’s doctrine.

“Lola, Nana thinks Leroy is living in sin because some book she read—”

“It’s notsome book,” Tia interrupts. “It’sthe Bible. And I know your mother raised you better than to disrespect God’s word this way. Just because you don’t take Lola to church anymore doesn’t mean you have the right to raise her as a heathen.”

“Tia, for the love of—”

“What’s a heathen?” Lola asks, cutting me off just as I raise my voice.

As a rule, we don’t argue in front of Lola, but I feel attacked as a father and role model. I don’t appreciate her making me look bad in front of my daughter.

“Lola,” I say before taking a deep breath. “If Nana and Pa weren’t here, would we figure out how to make things work?”

Tears instantly fill her eyes. “Are you sick?” She looks to them for answers.

“No, honey. We’re not sick,” Amos reassures her while Tia frowns at me.

I can’t win.

“If they moved away from here, would we be okay?” I rephrase.

“Ozzy, that’s a lot of pressure to put on a ten-year-old,” Tia says. “How is she supposed to know if you’ll be okay? She’s ten. Who’s the adult?”

“Why are you leaving?” Lola asks, rubbing the unshed tears from her eyes.

Amos and Tia look to me for that answer.

I’m the bad guy—a lousy guy who wants to sacrifice them to save myself. That’s what Tia did to me.

Despite what she thinks, I won’t use Lola as a pawn.

“Pumpkin,” I say in a calmer tone. “Forget I mentioned anything about Maren.Youare my number one priority. And it’s incrediblylovingof Nana and Pa to be here for you.” Words have never tasted so bitter. I don’t want to bend the knee, but I don’t see any other choice.

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