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“What about the party?” she asks, her blue eyes widen and glazed. Tears are coming.
“Honey, just trust me.” Olive’s chin quivers, and her bottom lip juts out.
“But why, Mom?”
“Emily, what is going on?” Mom asks. Both her and Shiloh look at me with concern.
“Mom, he’s here,” I whisper.
“Who?” Her face suddenly morphs into one of understanding and shock. “Olive, listen to your mother.”
“But I want biscuits. It’s the only thing Burke does right…”
“I’ll bring you some, honey, I promise.”
“You stay here. I’ll take her home,” my mom offers.
“What’s going on?” Shiloh asks, her smile so innocent. My daughter is distraught, staring into the corner, so I point to Olive’s head.
Her dad, I mouth.
“Oh,” Shiloh says. Shiloh knows enough about Max so she kneels down in front of my daughter. “How about we have a special day, just the two of us? I’ll take you for some ice cream, and then we can take Bubba for a walk.” Bubba is her pit bull rescue, and my daughter talks about him incessantly after she sees him. Olive is also obsessed with Shiloh, and a day just the two of them trumps any family gathering.
Olive looks up. “Really?”
“Sure,” Shiloh says, standing up, placing her hand on Olive’s back. I could cry at Shiloh’s quick thinking and kindness. She reaches over Olive’s head and takes me in a hug. “Keep me posted, but we’ll do lots of fun things.”
“Okay,” I say.
I hand her my keys since Olive’s booster is in there, and Shiloh places her hand on my cheek so tenderly, I hold back tears. “You got this.”
I nod against her hand, and Shiloh takes it away, offering it to my daughter. Olive slips her hand into Shiloh’s without hesitation. “Come on, Miss Olive. We’re going to have a fun adventure day! It’ll be better than this old party.”
When they leave, I collapse in half with a long exhale and lean over, bracing my hands on my thighs. The tightness in my chest spreads to my throat, and I can’t breathe. My mom’s hand on my back does nothing to reassure me.
“Honey, just breathe. It’ll all be okay.”
“Why now?” I gasp for air. “Why did he have to show up today?”
“Did he know it was your birthday?”
“No. I don’t think so.” I stand up and stick my hands on my hips, wheezing. “Do you think he’s still out there?”
“Probably. He came all this way.”
“Mom, I don’t want to deal with it. Can you tell him to go away?”
“No, Emily Jean. You’re dealing with this.” Mom steps in front of me and rests her arm around my shoulders. I want to unleash the biggest sob. She pats my shoulder like I’m being ridiculous. I don’t think I am. A guy I slept with ten years ago is back, and a child he didn’t want is actually walking and talking and about to be so hopped up on sugar that she won’t go to bed tonight because the angel my brother chose bought me some time.
“Come on. You need to face him,” Mom says as she ushers me to the door. I brace my hands on the door frame so I don’t have to leave. Mom tries to yank me, but I’ve dug my heels in.
“Mom, I don’t know what to say to him.”
“Tell him you’ll meet him for dinner,” Mom says. “That way you can enjoy the party.”
“Enjoy the party. You want me… to enjoy the party. With him?”
“Hell no, we’re not inviting him to stay. Absolutely not. You will go out there and tell him that you will see him tonight. You will enjoy the gorgeous meal your boyfriend prepared for you, and then you will go to dinner with him tonight to figure out what he wants. I will babysit and put Olive to bed after God knows what Shiloh will feed her.”
