Page 114 of Accidental Blind Date
“My dad a few years ago. And my mom when I was young. I understand wanting to guard yourself after that.”
The girls are giggling and squealing at something they see in a book and Jenna and I both look over. “You know,” she says softly. “One of the hardest parts of it all is that I see her in them every day. They’re little mini mes of Tess and it just…kills me.”
“I can only imagine,” I tell her.
“They’ve been through so much. Lost so much. And I can’t let that happen again.”
I chew my lip before going on. I know what I want to say but I want to make sure I say it right. “I know it might not be my place, but don’t you think that being taken away from their dad would be traumatic for them?”
“I know it would be. But put yourself in my shoes. He works more than he’s around. They are with me a lot, though it’s not as much as it was in the beginning. They actually stayed with me for six months when Tess first died. One, because being in the house around all the things that reminded them of her was too hard on them all. And two, because Dax was…non-functioning. He shut down, so much so that I was the one taking care of the girls. And when Kai stepped in and yanked him back onto the horse, I was with them then too. I wanted him to get his life back together, in whatever way he possibly could, and I took over the parenting part.” Jenna lets out a shaky yet strong sigh before going on and I can see the weariness in her eyes. “I’ve only ever wanted what’s best for them. And sometimes I don’t know what that is. And then, he met you.”
“I never wanted to take from his time for the girls. If he was slacking because of me–”
“Let me finish,” she cuts me off but there’s a smile hidden somewhere in the back of her tone. “He changed. But not in a bad way. He was happy. Happier than I have seen him in years. And more present too. I knew it was because of a woman, even before I figured it out officially. And at first, it upset me. Because how could he ever replace my sister?”
“He could never,” I admit.
“But she’s not here. And you are. So, whatever happened between the two of you, it is crucial that you figure it out. Theylove you, Libby. They positively adore you. And I don’t want someone in their lives that they might lose.”
I nod, blinking back my own tears. The weight of it all hangs in the room and I don’t know what to do. Because it’s hitting me that heartbroken or not, betrayed or not, this isn’t just about me. As I watch the girls, listen to their protective yet wonderfully loving aunt, I realize that it’s about more than just me. It’s about family. And loss. And hope. And love.
It hits me all at once and I have to step outside as the emotion of what I have to do crashes over me like a wave.
Chapter 42
Dax
It feels odd being at Tony’s Cantina on a random day. But I didn’t know where else to go.
There are bar seats open, plenty of them, but the last time I sat there, I got myself in a lot of trouble. So, after a hard moment, I ask for a table.Thetable. I order an Old Fashioned from a bartender I don’t know, which is a relief to be perfectly honest. And then I sit. I sit staring at the glass as I nurse it. I stare at the glass hearts hanging above me. The ferns and the art and all the things Tess used to point out.
“This is so fancy,” she had said. But then again, she said it about everything. Nine-dollar wine was fancy. Hot chocolate at the Christmas parade that was overpriced and nothing special was fancy. A charm bracelet she bought from a local vendor at the fall festival was fancy. Everything, fancy or not, was fancy.
I sip my drink a little faster, swallowing hard and my eyes land on the empty chair in front of me.
“Oh Tessa Girl,” I whisper. “Where did you go?” I let the question hang in the air, thankful that the place is not busy. It’s 11am and they just opened. I have three hours before the court hearing, and I feel utterly defeated. “They need you,” I say. “I need you.”
I don’t know if I expect the chair to answer. Obviously, it doesn’t. And while sometimes, I can hear Tess’s response to things, recycled words of hers I’m sure, this is not one of those times. Right now, the world is quiet. Other than cantina music of course.
On cue, because the universe seems to hate me right now, my phone rings. It’s Jenna.
“What the hell?” I mutter. I let it ring and it stops. And then she calls again. This time, I answer, mostly because I’m annoyed.
“Aren’t we not allowed to talk before the hearing?” I snap. I don’t usually snap at Tess’s sister. Half the time, I am walking on glass, so she’ll believe I have my shit together. But right now, I have nothing to lose.
“Hello Daxton. I called to let you know there is no hearing.”
“What?” I bark out. “Jesus Christ, don’t tell me it got rescheduled. I want to get this over with Jenna. If you’re going to ruin my life, do it now.”
“They aren’t rescheduling it,” she says. When I don’t respond–because again, what the hell?-- she goes on. “I dropped the case, Dax.”
At first the words don’t register. “You…what?”
“I’m not taking the girls from you.”
“What are you talking about?” I ask because what else is there to ask. This woman lit my world on fire and now, all of a sudden, she is standing there with a fire extinguisher?
“I was wrong, Dax. Taking the girls from you would only make things harder. I just worry,”
