Page 97 of The Spring in My Heart

I laugh. “You say that now, but times flies by, and you’ll miss this time.”

Her hand flies to her mouth. “OhmyGod. I don’t mean to make it sound like I don’t appreciate or love him. It’s just hard.”

“Hey, no judgment here. The first year is really tough, especially when you’re alone.”

“Where was your wife?”

There’s a sharp pinch on my neck at the thought of Noris. I hate that she never entirely goes away, that I can’t erase her memory from our lives. “We were going through a divorce.”

Correction. I was going through a divorce. There was no we about it. She had left the relationship long before.

“I’m sorry.”

“No worries. So, I had Ayla—that’s my daughter’s name—and she was awful on planes. I had to learn how to keep her from screaming. She got so much better. So don’t despair with Connor.”

She smiles and lifts a hand to the sky. “From your mouth to God’s ears. And let me tell you, this is the last fucking time Paul leaves me alone to fly.”

“It’s hard when you have to work?—”

She rolls her eyes. “He chose to. He could’ve said no. I keep noticing he always chooses to work when the difficult stuff comes up. I bet you tomorrow he shows up, fresh as a daisy, to his mother’s house, after I get there looking like a truck ran me over. For the rest of the day, I’ll have to put up with her snide comments about me not being a proper wife and mother.”

“Yikes. I don’t miss that.”

She leans closer. “Was your mother-in-law a witch with b not a w like mine? This woman swears her son is the best brand of sliced bread, and I’m the grocery store brand of butter. She treats me like I’m a dirty rug outside a men’s bathroom.”

I nod. “Yes, I can relate. It took something earth-shattering to make my former mother-in-law see that I’m not the bad guy.”

It’s true. Mrs. Morales used to love looking down her nose at me. Her daughter could do much better than a jock that was probably going to cheat on her with girls in every city. And then her precious jewel left her new family for a married surgeon to the stars.

“How did you explain the divorce to your daughter when she was older?” Her voice carries a certain heaviness—one I can understand well.

She’s weighing her options.

“I had ample time to prepare her. It was just her and me, so when she would ask, I made sure I told her the truth but buffered it according to the age.”

She nods. “That’s good. Is her mother still around?”

I push down the anger at the thought of Noris coming back. I still can’t wrap my head around her leaving Ayla. “No.”

“Jesus. That’s terrible. How can you leave your little one?”

Yeah, that’s the twelve-and-a-half-year question.

“Did you remarry?” She yawns. Her words are a bit slurry.

“No.”

Her eyes take a warm tone. “Oh. How does a handsome guy like you stay single? You have to be a great guy to help me like you are.”

I chuckle. “Thank you. I think it has mostly been by choice. I don’t think I ever found someone who would love my baby girl like I do.”

She frowns, but her head drifts back against the seat. “Maybe you’re dating the wrong kind of woman, because if they loved you, how could they not love her? The right woman would want to be there for her like she is for you.”

“I didn’t—” I catch myself before I can say I didn’t introduce any women to her. “You should nap. I’ll entertain Connor so you can catch a few minutes.”

Her eyes drift closed, and I’m left alone with a three-month-old. Again. I know what to do with this one, though. I rock him until he follows his mother’s example and goes to sleep.

And now I’m left with my thoughts.

---