“You look happy,” he said softly.
I nodded. “I am.”
“You’ve been moving back to Mom’s for a few months now. You’re not upset?”
“I’m not upset. Sad, yes, but only because I can’t see Sloane every day anymore, except for those brief moments I manage to squeeze in between surgeries. And I only get limited time with Harper.” I glanced at him and caught the concern in his eyes. “But I know this is part of the process. I need to take this step to earn her trust. She needs to know I’ll still be there for her, even if I’m not there physically anymore.”
“Yeah...” Caleb sighed. “She told me about Xander a few days ago.”
My head snapped toward him, surprise flickering across my face before I could hide it. I’d been trying not to hover too muchat the hospital, giving her space because I knew she needed time on her own. I also knew she’d been spending more and more time with Caleb during lunch.
“She did?” I asked.
He nodded, running a hand through his hair. “God. How the hell did she get through that? It’s so much for anyone to carry.”
I stayed quiet for a moment, still trying to process it. She hadn’t told many people. For her to tell Caleb—that meant something. She trusted him. And I knew she had also told Mom.
She was learning to trust people other than me.
Caleb must have noticed something in my expression, because he added, “She’s learning to open up. To people she knows she can count on. Not just you.”
I nodded, but that wasn’t what was going through my head.
What I was thinking was that she was also learning how to live without me. And she was getting better at it every day.
“I know,” I said quietly. “It’s good for her.”
I turned back to the grill, my head bowed as I tried to focus on the food and keep my mind from drifting.
After a moment, I felt Caleb’s hand on the back of my neck, squeezing it gently.
“You’re fighting for her,” he said. “I admire that about you.”
He paused, then added, “Even though you fucked up. Badly. I mean, really badly. There was a time I didn’t think I could ever forgive you for it.”
I didn’t say anything. I didn’t know how to respond to that.
“But you’ve shown up,” he went on. “You’ve done everything you could for her. You still are. That counts for something.”
He gave my shoulder a quick pat before stepping back. “You finish this,” Caleb said, nodding toward the grill. “I’m going to get us beers.”
“Okay,” I mumbled, trying my best not to glance at Sloane again and focusing on the grill.
The day went on, joyful and loud. The kids were caught up in games Caroline’s teenagers had organized, and by now they were all drenched in sweat, some so soaked they needed a complete change of clothes. Eventually, the parents herded them inside to get cleaned up and wash their hands before the meal.
Sloane went with them this time instead of my mom.
Another small but meaningful breakthrough.
Once everyone had finally settled down, scattered across the backyard and inside the house, Sloane walked over to me with a plate piled with two burgers and two hot dogs. In her other hand, she carried two bottles of water.
She sat beside me and held the plate out. I took one of the waters and a burger, nodding my thanks.
We began eating in silence, side by side, not saying a word at first. Then she said quietly,
“You’ve been watching me.”
“Yeah...” I admitted, my voice trailing off. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
