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Ada and I fell asleep on the couch. She was curled up in front of me as we watched Beauty and the Beast for the twentieth time until we zonked out. I woke up because it was hot and checked the time. It was six p.m. I couldn’t believe we’d slept so long. There was a blanket on us which meant it was either Dean or Flora. I figured Flora would’ve woken me up, so it must’ve been Dean.

Taking the covers off, I slowly peeled myself from where I was laying with Ada and covered her back up. When I stood up and stretched, I was spooked and jumped at the sight of Dean sitting at the dining room table with only the stove light illuminating the room. He was drinking what looked like a mixed drink of something in a glass, not the usual bottle of beer. Walking over, I sat down across from him and said, “Hi. How long have you been home?”

“Long enough to see my daughter has a bandage on her knee.”

He was upset, naturally. “Yes… that’s a whole story.” Rolling my eyes, I told him about everything. I was thinking he would understand but I was wrong.

“You have to watch her, Eliana. That’s what I pay you to do. I knew something would happen to her. This was a bad idea.”

Taken aback by his tone, I shot back, “Hold on. You do realize kids get hurt, right? She learned a valuable lesson today that she’ll take with her forever.”

“Enlighten me. What valuable lesson could a five-year-old learn by skinning her knee?”

I stood and grabbed my boots that I’d set by the couch and pulled them on because I planned to say my peace and go home. “Dean, she learned to stand her ground. She learned that no is a complete sentence. She learned no one is her boss and to always use her manners and be polite. She learned a boy should never treat her poorly for any reason. He should never lay a hand on her. He should never yell at her. He should never try and boss her because she doesn’t want to do something. THAT’S what she learned today, Dean. Kids get hurt. It’ll happen. You’re being naive if you think she’ll be immune to that. More than that, you’re a jerk for assuming I wasn’t watching her. Not only do I watch her, but I also teach her, I defend her. I adore that little girl, so don’t ever speak to me like that again.” Not giving him a chance to respond, I said, “Have a good night, Mr. Thorne,” and left.

When I got home to my apartment, I kicked my shoes off and climbed into bed. I was tossing and turning, unable to sleep because the argument with Dean was running non-stop through my head. I showed him by calling him Mr. Thorne. So formal. How dare he talk to me like that? I was hopeful he would pull his head out of his ass and realize what a colossal jerk he’d been.

It was still early in the night, so being in bed was dumb, but I was so mad, it felt like the only thing to do. After unsuccessfully trying to drift off for some rest, I kicked my covers off, got up and decided to go for a walk to clear my head. It was dark already, but Maple Lane Falls is a small town. Everybody knows everybody and I knew if I got into trouble, I had several emergency places to dart into on my route. Plus, there were still so many people out and about.

The evening was crisp. October is easily my favorite month of the entire year. The way the wind shakes the trees, it sounds like rain, but the sky was clear and full of stars. The leaves were falling and racing each other across the streets and sidewalks. The town is picturesque all year, but in the Fall, it’s magical.

The walk was much needed. I think when Dean and I went to the Fall Fest and when we had that moment of… whatever it was between us, it scared him. Scared? I don’t know if that’s the right word. Something happened though. I’m sure it’s because I was Ada’s nanny. Maybe he didn’t want to ruin that. He wouldn’t. It could work, I thought. Shaking my head, it was dumb to think beyond him being my boss. He was older than me, but not by much. I understood he needed to put Ada first, though. I wanted that too.

A bookstore called the Book Nook was open late, so I popped in there on the route and waved towards the counter. “Hey, Ms. Shelly!” Ms. Shelly has owned the bookstore for more than twenty years. It’s one of my favorite places to visit. Sometimes, my only reason for popping in is for her treats and it was one of those times. She bakes all sorts of sweet fall goodies, and I needed a pumpkin cheesecake brownie.

“Hey honey, on a walk again?” Shelly asked.

“I am. It’s so gorgeous tonight! I popped in for one of your brownies.”

She beamed with pride. “On the house tonight, honey. I’ve already counted my drawer since we’re closing soon.”

“Aaah! You’re the best. Thank you, Ms. Shelly. Perfect little treat to finish my walk. Byeee.” Shelley smiled and waved.

When I rounded the corner, a bunch of guys stumbled out of the bar. They were hollering and laughing. I remember thinking, walk fast and don’t make eye contact. I tried, but it turns out I knew one of them. “El…hey El.”

It was TJ. “Hey. Sorry, gotta run. Heading home.”

He ran up to me and stepped in front of me, effectively pinning me to the brick wall. “Where you going so fast? We need to talk. You know, you fucking embarrassed me at the Fest. And why haven’t you returned any of my calls or texts? It’s been a month.” He smelled awful. Obviously, he was drunk. There was a sexy smell of beer on a man’s breath sometimes, but the way TJ smelled, wasn’t it. It was true that he’d been trying to reach out. He tried to get a hold of me through my parents too, but I ignored him every time because we had nothing to talk about. He cheated on me.

“Let me by, TJ. I’m not doing this with you tonight. YOU embarrassed me.” I tried to shove him aside so I could pass, but he grabbed my arm, ironically in the same place he did the night of the Fest and pushed me against the brick. “Ow, TJ! You’re hurting me. Let go!”

Just then, we heard a truck approaching, screeching its tires as it came to a hard stop. We turned to look and were blinded by the truck’s lights. Squinting, I saw a familiar silhouette get out and walk around. As he came into view, I said, “Dean…?”

Chapter 12

Dean

I sat at the dining room table like a dope as Elly walked out. She had reamed me a new one and I fucking deserved it. Feeling like a damned idiot, I poured the rest of my drink down the kitchen sink. Ada was still sleeping on the couch. I picked her up and took her to her bed, then texted Flo to see if she could come over for a bit and watch Ada. I needed to find Elly and apologize right away.

There are times when my kid is going to get hurt. I know that, but it’s my job as her dad to protect her. When I saw her knee, I didn’t like it, but it didn’t mean it was Elly’s fault. I’d been a total asshole, and she didn’t deserve the way I’d treated her.

Truthfully, I’d been such a fucking dick to her ever since I felt that connection with her the night of the Fall Fest. There was an attraction between us, but I needed to squash it before the tension ruined the incredible relationship Elly had with my daughter. Still, it was no excuse to talk to her like she did something wrong.

Flora used her key to get in. “Dean…what happened?”

Rolling my eyes, I confessed, “I basically blamed her for Ada skinning her knee.” Flora set her purse and keys on the counter and came over to me and hugged me. I wasn’t expecting a hug. She should’ve been yelling at me. “Why aren’t you yelling at me?”

She pulled back and smiled. “Because you don’t need me to yell at you. You got that part covered. Nothing I say is going to help the situation. You’re a dad. You’re all Ada has in this world… well, not anymore.”