Page 1 of Hello Single Dad

1

BIRDIE

Confession: I don’t have my life in order.

Nothing made me happier than early morning pancakes with my best friend. Except for maybe seeing a U-Haul on the street.

Thathadto mean Mrs. Cronckle was finally moving out to live with her daughter. With a smile on my face, I walked toward our townhome, ready to tell Dax we could say goodbye. No more senile neighbor who liked to comment on my weight, and no more of her creepy, winky cat.

I took the few steps into our front door and pushed it open. “Dax! You’re not going to...” My heart stopped. And that had nothing to do with the pound of bacon Mara and I had just consumed. Suitcases filled the living room. Among the bags, stood my fiancé.

Dax looked up from his phone, and very casually, slid it into his pocket.

“What’s going on?” I asked, closing the door behind me, as though that simple latch would be enough to stop the inevitable from happening.

“It’s not working out,” he said flatly.

My mind was screaming, begging me to tell him that we were engaged. That only months ago he’d gotten on one knee and asked me forever. That even though I supplied most of the rent money, I couldn’t afford this townhouse on my own. But all that came out was, “That’s your U-haul?”

Dax glanced over his shoulder, just slightly, and that’s when I realized we were not alone.

A petite brunette wearing a flowy dress and sky-high heels stood near our bedroom. The one Dax and I shared.

My brain short-circuited. “Dax? Who is she?”

“She’s a friend,” he said dismissively.

“Seriously?” I blinked quickly, fighting back tears andrage. It was the dumbest and most obvious lie. Couldn’t he have come up with something more creative if he was going to thoroughly break my heart? Hewasan artist, after all.

He didn’t reply, but that was all the confirmation I needed.

Now I knew why he was so hesitant to set the date for our wedding. Butwhydid he have to cheat with someone like her?

Not only was she thinner than me, but she wasbeautiful, too, with stalk-straight hair that fell around her heart-shaped face and matched her doe-brown eyes. I couldn’t help but feel self-conscious in my brunch leggings and T-shirt that showed just how much bigger I was than her. It was only seven in the morning. How did she look so perfect already?

Then a horrible thought crossed my mind. How long had this been going on?

But while I processed, he was already talking toher. “Can you take these to the truck?”

The truck. The one parked out front, ready to dismantle my life.

She carried two bags, then walked toward me where I stood in the doorway.

“Excuse me,” she said.

And you know what I did? I fucking apologized for being in her way. What kind of masochist was I?

She walked outside, and I stepped farther into our living room. “So that’s it?” I asked Dax, my voice shaking. “You’re out?”

He sighed. “I haven’t been feeling the connection, the fire that I should for someone I’m going to be spending the rest of my life with.”

“And you’re feeling the fire for her?” I didn’t even know her name. Shouldn’t I know the name of a woman who helped dismantle my life?

“What about Ralphie?” Dax asked, sidestepping my question. “Don’t you want to be with someone who won’t mind you bringing that bird home?”

I almost rage-puked in his face. And yeah, that’s a thing. “You’re bringing up Ralphie?”

He threw his arms up. “What do you want me to say?”

---