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“Well, you have it now, if that helps.” I pulled Michelle out of her chair and did the thing I should have done each time I returned home from a trip, I wrapped her in my arms and squeezed her tight.
“It does.” She hugged me back and buried her face in my chest.
“Good, because if I could go back in time and do it all over again, I would do things differently. Being here with Mickey makes it real, all the things I missed out on with you, the things I chalked up to insignificant events to be made up for at a later date. I can never get that time back with you, and I’m sorry for that, but I’m grateful to you for giving me a second chance, and a chance to fall in love with the greatest little boy on earth. For letting me see all that I missed with you.”
Michelle laughed and pulled back, shaking her head in amusement. “Mickey loves you, and that more than makes up for everything, especially since his dad is such a loser.” She sighed as if she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. “He doesn’t even have some amazing job as a reason for being a shit dad.” She winced at her insinuation. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be. Facts are always fact, even when they sting.”
“I know, but I shouldn’t keep coming at you like that.”
“Maybe you should. And trust me when I tell you that there is no good reason for being a shit dad.”
Michelle’s arms slid around my waist and she hugged me again. “I love you, Daddy.”
“Love you too, sweetheart.” I squeezed her tight. “I am so proud of the woman you’ve become, achieving so much on your own.”
She giggled and pulled back, a knowing smile lit up her face. “You also love Lacey, so much that you gave her a big story. A really big story, I’m guessing.”
I growled and ruffled her hair, enjoying her squeal of outrage. “Let’s not talk about that right now.”
“Okay, fine, but you can’t avoid this forever. You know that, right?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I know. Not forever, but maybe for just a little while longer.” I couldn’t tell Lacey now, not when she was about to get the chance to have the career she’d always wanted. There would be time later.
I hoped so at least.
Chapter 19
Lacey
“And then Coach Matthews said she wants to use my whole entire routine for the next tournament! Can you believe it, Mom?” Stevie’s eyes rolled back and she shook her head and stomped her feet with excitement. “I’m totally having a fit right now.”
I couldn’t help but smile at the joy that radiated from my daughter. The divorce was hard on her, harder on her than on me, and to see her finding joy in her favorite hobbies and activities warmed my heart. She’d returned to the happy little girl she was before her father tossed us aside.
“You can’t see it, but I’m also having a fit right now.”
“Mom,” she groaned and rolled her eyes.
“Seriously, I am so proud of you Stevie. I can’t wait to see your choreography.” Now that I worked for myself, I could actually grab my laptop and work while all the other teams performed, I could support her the way a mother should. I could buy her and team a meal after a job well done because I didn’t have to rush back to Carson Creek to put the paper to bed.
“Thanks Mom, I’m pretty proud too.” She pointed at her math textbook. “That’s why I’m getting my homework done before dinner, so I can break down the steps to teach the girls. Regionals are just a few weeks away.”
“That’s my girl,” I told her just as the phone rang. “Hello?”
“Lacey Gregory?” The voice was deep, very deep and slightly accented.
“This is Lacey, who is this?”
“The name is Carlton, but you can call me Carl since we’ll be spending a week together in South America.” His voice was filled with amusement, and I frowned.
“I’m sorry, but I think you have the wrong Lacey Gregory.”
“Nope, don’t think so.”
He laughed, and the sound was rich and smooth, like he used that masculine laugh often. “I talked to Levi yesterday and he said you were in need of a cameraman, which I am. I do stills and video, oh and I’m fluent in Spanish if that helps.”
I stared at my phone in disbelief, at the conversation I was having. “It does help, but I’m really not sure what you’re talking about, or why Levi told you I needed a cameraman.” Had I hit my head and woken up in an alternate dimension?
The doorbell rang and Stevie perked up, eyes filled with curiosity. “I’ll get it.”
“For Venezuela.”
“Venezuela?”
“Yep. When do you want to leave? I have another job hanging open until I nail down these dates.”
