Page 22 of Wrong Number, Right Single Dad
I park across the street from the café and sit there for a minute, staring at the glowing windows. There’s a chalkboard sign out front. Music floats out every time the door opens. I can feel the beat of my pulse in my throat.
I’m scared.
Not of seeing her.
I’m scared of not seeing her. Ever again.
There’s only one way to find out if she’s in there. Picking up a bouquet of flowers that I bought on the way, I go inside.
The place is packed. I somehow squeeze my way into a seat near the center of the room.
My knee bounces, my hands twitch, as people talk excitedly around me. I scan the room for a flash of brown hair, for that smile that undoes me every time.
The current performer finishes a song and steps off the low wooden stage.
The host walks up. “Next we’ve got… Delaney.”
My breath catches.
The curtain rustles.
A soft light glows.
And there she is.
Guitar in hand. Eyes wide for just a second as she steps into the spotlight.
My heart lifts.
That’s her.
That’s my girl.
NINE
DELANEY
Somehow, I keep it together.
I manage to complete the song—a song I wrote when I was falling for a man who could never love me—without bursting into tears.
But I feel them burning in the back of my eyes.
I feel them in the way my throat swells, and my voice is just a bit raspier than usual.
Yet, I don’t break. Even though keeping it together after being so broken the past few days is the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
He’s not for me, I remind myself, borrowing a phrase Katie gave me when I told her what happened. The right man for me is out there. A man who won’t hold my past against me. A man who will love me for—not in spite of—the person I had to be to become the woman I am now.
My voice mingles with the chord in the final note until they both fade away. The way I hope my love for a certain single dad will soon disappear too.
Applause fills the room.
I force a smile and bow my head slightly before stepping off the stage. My hands tremble as I place my guitar back in its case. The moment the curtain falls behind me, I let out a slow, shuddering breath.
It’s done.
I made it through.
