Page 135 of One Good Puck
“No.”
Levi frowns. “Why not? Abby, I’m her father.”
“You sure didn’t act like it,” I bite.
“I was young, Abby.”
“So was I.” My voice is a hair under a shout. We’re in public and I should keep my voice down. But I can’t help it. I can’t believe he’s making such pitiful excuses for abandoning our daughter.
“You don’t think I was scared too?” I swallow back the lump in my throat at the memory of Levi leaving. At how heartbroken I was. How lonely and isolated I felt taking care of our baby all on my own.
Hot tears burn in my eyes. “I was fucking terrified, Levi. But I didn’t leave. Because she’s my daughter—my baby. I wouldn’t ever leave her, no matter what. Unlike you.”
He closes his eyes and exhales, like he’s tired of dealing with me. “Abby, I made a mistake. I’m not the guy I used to be.”
I don’t say anything. I just look at him, my heartthrashing in my chest, that on-edge feeling coursing through my entire body.
“Can I just say hi to Emma?” Levi asks.
He starts to walk toward me, but Gavin steps in front of me, blocking Levi from me.
“She said no. Back off.” Gavin’s tone is hard, lethal.
Levi steps away. “Jesus dude, okay.”
Gavin grabs my hand and leads me away from Levi, pulling the tree behind him.
I’m trembling and my heart is still racing. I glance behind me, but I don’t see Levi. He must have walked off. We stop just in front of the gift shop.
I wipe my face with my gloves and sniffle. “I…I don’t want Emma to see me like this. She’ll get upset, and I don’t want to worry her.”
Gavin cups my face in my hands and holds me close. “It’s okay. Why don’t you go to the car and take a few minutes for yourself while I get Emma and get the tree packed up?”
Gavin’s touch and calming, steady voice are the comfort I need.
“Okay,” I say in a shaky voice. “I’m sorry, Gavin. I didn’t mean to fall apart like this. I-I just wasn’t ready to see him after all these years…and what he said about Emma…”
Gavin shakes his head, holding my gaze. “You don’t have anything to be sorry for, okay? It’s gonna be alright. I promise.”
He kisses me, then hands me the keys to his truck. I walk over to the parking lot and sit in the front seat. I take a minute just to breathe and calm down, then I grab a few tissues and clean myself up.
Ten minutes later, I see Gavin and Emma walking over.When I see her smiling and laughing with him, I feel instant relief.
He loads the wrapped-up tree in the back of the truck and helps Emma into the backseat.
“Mom, I got a gingerbread cookie for you.” She hands it to me.
“Thank you, honey.”
Gavin hops in the driver’s seat. He gives me a soft smile and gently squeezes my leg.
He turns on the engine and pulls out of the lot. He glances at Emma through the rearview mirror. “Now that we’ve decided that gingerbread cookies are the best Christmas cookies, I think we need to decide what the best Christmas song is.”
Emma giggles. “‘Frosty the Snowman’.”
“I was going to go with ‘Jingle Bells,’” he says.
“‘Frosty the Snowman’ is way more fun to sing.”
