Page 129 of Paper Hearts

“He’s never been alone with her, has he?”

I shake my head. “He’s literally seen her a handful of times, but no.”

“Does she see your dad?” he implores, reaching for his beer.

I set my napkin on the table. “Not much.”

Ender draws in a breath and finishes his beer. How he makes drinking a beer sexy is beyond me, but he does. “How’d you make it through college and take care of Eddie?”

“My mom moved to Athens. Arya and I lived with her. Once Eddie was born, she watched her during the day so I could finish school.”

There’s dejection in his eyes. “I’m sorry you had to do it on your own. If I would have known, I would have stayed.”

“I understand why you left. I do.”

He searches my face, my eyes, lips. “It doesn’t make it any easier though.”

“I know.” And then I smile, thinking of our daughter and how much she reminds me of Ender. “She asked if she could call you daddy?”

He blinks rapidly. “She did?”

“She did. You have to remember… she’s five. She’s had me, and my mom, and Arya. A man in her life is exciting to her.”

“What about Myles?”

“Oh, he sees her all right.” I laugh, my tears drying. “He uses her to get dates.”

Ender chuckles under his breath. “That little shit. What did you say to her?”

“I told her it’s up to her.”

He nods, his weight shifted to one side in the chair as if he’s relieved to a certain extent.

“When you came back, nobody said anything to you about Eddie?”

“Nobody.” He shakes his head. “Well-kept secret. I got Arya’s letter a couple years ago, begging me to come back, but she didn’t say anything about Eddie. About a year later, Greer found me when I was stationed in Kuwait. I wasn’t in a mindset to see him and ignored him. It was at a point in my life when I hated everything.”

“So what finally got your attention? Arya said your dad got a hold of you?”

“He did.” His words stop short, the distance in his eyes returning.

“And?”

“He was Theo. Vindictive. Said I was selfish and my sister deserved better. That pissed me off. And then Arya sent me the invitation with your book. I spent the next week reading it, felt devastation like I’d never felt before until I walked inside that house the day of the wedding and saw Eddie.”

“You knew?”

He nods. “I took one look into her eyes and knew.”

I smile. “When she was born, she was identical to you. It was crazy. I could barely look at her without crying.”

He struggles, blinks, and clears his throat, his posture straightening. “Are you ready to get out of here?” he lays a hundred-dollar bill on the table. “I can’t be here any longer.”

I nod and we stand, his hand slipping into mine. I fear I’ve pushed him too far, but I know these conversations are ones we had to have.

* * *

“Thank you,”he says, turning off the engine. His focus is on my shoulder where the strap of my dress has fallen. His gaze falls to my lips. “For the date.”

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