Page 51 of The Single Dad Dilemma

She’s silent for a long minute, her heart pounding hard in her chest—so hard I can feel it in my own.

“Thank you, Ridge,” she says softly. “Thank you for being exactly who you are.”

Warmth spreads throughout my chest at her words, and I swallow hard. I fight back against the catch in my throat when I speak again.

“Always.”

On Sunday, I ask Darcy to be at my house with me when Lou gets back. I want to gauge Lou’s reaction, and if I’m being honest, her grandparents’ reactions too. Alma and George are technically nothing to me, but I love and respect them as if they were my in-laws, regardless. I know they love and care for Lou, and I care about their opinions.

Darcy was hesitant at first, wondering if maybe I should speak to Lou one-on-one first. But I still want to see if she responds well. Depending on how that goes, I’ll talk to her. I think it’s okay for Lou to know about us now. I’m invested inDarcy, in our time together, and in what’s happening between us. I have to have faith in that.

“They’re here!” Darcy calls from my living room window.

I round the kitchen island and stride toward the front door, a little eager and a lot nervous. It’s not how I normally feel when Lou’s coming home, but there’s added pressure this time. There’s a lot riding on this.

In typical Lou fashion, she bounds through the front door, arms wide open. She jumps into my arms and I lift her up, hugging her tight and swinging side to side.

“Hey, pumpkin,” I say. “Did you have fun?”

“Yep!” she says, squeezing my neck. “Grandpa let me ride the mower with him.”

“Wow, okay speed racer.” I kiss her cheek and put her back down.

She turns, noticing Darcy for the first time. It causes her to pause for a second. But only a second. Lou runs over to Darcy, arms open.

“Hi, Darcy! I didn’t know you would be here! Are you here to have dinner with us?” she asks, hugging Darcy around her waist.

“Yeah, I would love to have dinner with you guys,” Darcy says, returning her embrace.

Their interaction makes my heart swell. Alma and George seem to notice too, but I can’t tell what they’re feeling about it.

“Can we talk to you outside for a moment?” Alma asks.

I step onto the front porch and close the door behind us. Darcy offered to help Lou unpack while I speak to them.

“What’s up?”

“Are you and Darcy an item now?” Alma asks, her tone neutral.

I scratch the back of my neck, suddenly a little more shy than I expected to be. “She and I are getting to know each other.” Hoping she will fill in the blanks, I give her a rather guilty look.

“Is it serious?” she asks.

And I don’t know how to answer that. “I’m not sure yet.” It’s honest, at least. “We haven’t talked about it.”

Alma runs her hand over my shoulder in a loving, maternal way. She’s always been a champion of me, and I’m grateful for it.

“Sweetheart, all I want in this world is for you and Louise to be happy,” she says. “I certainly didn’t expect you to be alone forever.” She pauses, giving her words room to breathe. “And Vanessa wouldn’t want that either.”

Those last few words hit me right in the chest. With Vanessa gone, I’ve always tried to keep her in mind while raising Lou. I think about what she mentioned while pregnant, what she hoped for the future. There have been times I’ve been angry about doing this alone. Not at Vanessa, but just at the situation. But I have to believe that Alma is right and that her daughter would want me to be happy.

After Alma and George leave, the three of us make dinner together. Lou expertly shreds lettuce into a bowl while Darcy chops the rest of the vegetables for our salads, and I cook steaks in my cast-iron skillet.

During the meal, Lou fills us in on her trip to the farm and the latest episode of the animal documentary she watches. When she asks us what we did, we quickly change the subject to what Lyric does for a living, and I agree to let her tour her lab as long as there are no bodies actually out on display. She begrudgingly agrees and convinces me to let her after her tenth birthday.

We say our goodbyes to Darcy after we finish eating, since tomorrow is a workday and we all need to get ready.

“Lou, do you think you could come and sit on the couch with me?” I pat the cushion beside me, beckoning her from her place on the floor where she’s completed about half of a puzzle.

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