One of his friends looked up at me curiously.
“Is this your father?”
Lucas’s shoulders slumped slightly. “No,” he said quietly.
Something in my chest cracked.
“I might not be his father,” I told the boy gently, resting a hand on Lucas’s shoulder, “but I’m much more than that.”
Lucas looked up at me then, his eyes searching mine.
“Much, much more than that.”
The truth was, I liked being there for Lucas and Emma.
But most of all…
I liked being there for Jiya.
Earlier that month, she had surprised me by planning my thirty-fifth birthday celebration at Liam’s house. I hadn’t seen it coming, and the care she put into organizing everything trulytouched me. The gift she gave me—a pen engraved with my name—still sat on my desk.
Later that evening, I drove over to the restaurant to see Jack. He was wiping down the bar counter while I sat on a stool, sipping a soda.
“So,” he said casually, “you wanna break up with Stephanie?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm… why?”
“I don’t see a future with her,” I said, placing the glass down harder than intended. “Something’s missing.”
Jack didn’t respond right away. Then he asked, “What about Jiya?”
I nearly slipped off the stool. “Jiya?”
I glanced across the restaurant. She was standing in the far corner, talking to a customer, her hair falling loosely over her shoulders. The warm lighting of the restaurant caught the soft strands around her face as she smiled politely at the person in front of her.
“Don’t tell me you haven’t thought about it,” Jack said, raising an eyebrow. “She’s beautiful, smart, caring, and a great mother.”
My nerves fired up all at once as I looked at her again.
“I don’t understand why you two aren’t together already. You’re perfect for each other. You’d make a great family. Even Maureen thinks so.”
“Maureen too?” I muttered.
At that exact moment, Jiya looked up and smiled at me.
Goosebumps erupted across my arms. No woman besides my wife had ever brought out such feelings in me the way Jiya did.
“Well,” Jack said, “think about it.”
“I don’t think she sees me as anything other than a friend.”
Jiya was one of the most remarkable women I had ever met. She had rebuilt her life from nothing and brought the restaurantback to life. Our bond had started with a fight and grown into respect and friendship.
I didn’t want to risk losing that.
Still… it felt like there was something more between us. Something profound and magical that could last a lifetime.
