"What is it?" she asked finally. "I mean, if you want to tell me. I know you might think I'm not old enough to know stuff."
I closed my eyes. This was the part where the old Sebastian would deflect. Change the subject. Keep his personal life locked away where no one could touch it.
I was tired of being the old Sebastian.
"How would you feel," I said slowly, "if Aria and I were... more than friends?"
"You mean like dating?"
"Something like that."
The silence stretched so long I started to worry. I could hear her breathing, could picture her sitting somewhere in the townhouse, phone pressed to her ear, trying to figure out how she felt about her father suddenly having a love life.
"I think I'd be happy," she said finally. "If you were happy." A pause. "And if she was still around for me, too."
My throat tightened. "She would be. Nothing would change between you and her."
"Okay then." Her voice brightened, the tension dissolving. "I like Aria. She's kind and caring. She's not like you at all, Dad."
"Gee, thanks."
"You know what I mean. She's warm. She actually talks about feelings and stuff." A beat. "Does she like you, too?"
"I think she might."
"That's surprising."
"Ouch."
"What? You're talking to me about your feelings, Dad. That's literally never happened before."
I laughed. The sound surprised me. "Is that good or bad?"
"Good. Definitely good." I could hear the smile in her voice. "Maybe Aria's rubbing off on you."
"Maybe she is."
We talked for a few more minutes. Evie filled me in on life at the foundation, the projects Priya had her working on, how Nalani was teaching her about community outreach. She complained about the reading list Isabelle had given her, some books about fashion history that sounded tedious but she was powering through. Normal stuff. Father-daughter stuff.
It felt easy in a way it never had before.
After we hung up, I stood there for a moment, phone in hand, staring at the screen. Then I slid the door open and stepped onto the balcony.
Aria looked up, squinting against the sun. Her book was face-down on her lap, her place marked by a pressed flower she'd found in the garden yesterday.
"Everything okay?"
I sat in the chair beside her. "Evie approves of you."
Her eyebrows rose. "You told her?"
"Figured she should know. If we're getting serious."
The words hung in the air. Aria's expression shifted, something flickering behind her eyes that I couldn't quite read.
"Are we?" she asked. "Getting serious?"
"I think so." I reached for her hand, threading my fingers through hers. "If that's what you want."
