Page 71 of Living at 40

“We went for a walk.”

“Is he your boyfriend now?” The question catches me off guard, and I peer down at Lorna, who isn’t looking at me as she straightens her sleep shirt.

“Um . . .”

“Bethany Simone told me when a boy asks to walk you down the hallway, he wants to be your boyfriend. Did my dad ask you to be his girlfriend? That’s how it’s done now. I saw you kissing this morning. Bethany says when a boy kisses you, you’re his girlfriend.”

Well, Miss Bethany . . . I don’t know what to say to Lorna, and she’s already lost so much with her mother’s choice to move away with her boyfriend. Will she be upset if her father has a new girlfriend?

“Mom used to kiss Peter in front of me all the time. That’s how I knew he was her boyfriend.”

I stare at her, wondering if that’s appropriate behavior. Did she mean a little soft kiss or full make-out sessions?

“I don’t really like Peter, but I’m okay with you kissing Dad.”

Okay then.

“I really like your dad,” I try to reassure her, finally finding my voice.

“He really likes you, too. He talks about you all the time.” She rolls her eyes, and I recall finding her outside the house before I saw Logan inside this morning. The girls were waiting for the moving van, drawing with chalk on the driveway. Lorna gave me a hug just like Mila did. Surprised to see her, I blurted out my first thought.

“Are you staying in America?” It was a terrible question to ask her and could have triggered all kinds of things, but as Logan and I hadn’t spoken, I didn’t know what was happening for her. She told me her mother left last night. Then she ran back to Mila to continue her chalk art, and I stood there stunned.

Chloe left her daughter behind, and Logan had Lorna full-time.

I felt both elation for him and deflated for me.

Then we made love on the landing, like crazed teens. Again. Yeah, I liked her father. I loved him.

“I’m glad to hear your dad was talking about me, but let’s talk about you. What else do you need tonight? Do you have cramps? Headache? Backache?”

Lorna twists her waist and then touches her temples as if she can’t decide which part hurts, if either.

“I think backache.” I want to tell her it’s not multiple-choice, but I let it slide.

“Let me get you some ibuprofen. I’ll be right back.” When Lorna hesitates, I add. “You can leave the bathroom.”

Holding the door open, I step out of the smaller space. I have ibuprofen in my bag, which is downstairs. Stepping into the hallway, I find Logan standing just outside the door to Mila’s bedroom. His arms are full of supplies.

“Hey. Is she okay?” He presses off the wall.

“She’s fine. She wants to know if I’m your girlfriend, just asked me if we were off kissing, and then told me you were talking about me nonstop.”

He softly chuckles. “Oh boy.”

“Yeah. Do you think she’s going to be okay with us? Is it too much since her mother just ran off to France with her boyfriend?”

“This is different. I’m not concerned. Don’t worry.” He firmly nods, and I want to absorb his confidence. There’s more at stake here than just Logan and me, though. “Now, how is my girl?”

“She’s a young woman now, and you’re going to have your hands full because she’s so beautiful.”

“I lov—” He catches himself, but the smile on his face at the compliment to his daughter says a lot. He’d tell me he loved me because I praised his child. It wouldn’t mean more.

My eyes drift to his arms. “What’s all this?” I question to dismiss the nearly spoken words.

“Ibuprofen for cramps. Peroxide for her underwear. Pads. Some chocolate. It’s the best I could find raiding Anna’s bathroom downstairs.”

He’s such a good girl dad. Patting his chest, I state, “Let me go get a glass of water for her.” When I turn for the stairs, Logan calls out for me to stop.