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“If it’s not my two favorite people in the whole world,” I say with a smile.
Maria and Ava both appear on my screen, and my heart constricts when I see my blonde-haired little girl.
“How are you? I’ve missed you!”
“Is it snowing?” Ava asks. “Why are you talking so softly?” I turned down the volume as far as I can so that we don’t wake Noah, and I talk softly when I answer.
I only realize when she asks that the lines must be back up if they got through to me.
I nod. “I’m staying with a friend who’s still sleeping. It’s super early here. And it’s snowing like crazy out there. Last night, we didn’t even have phone lines.”
“Wow,” Ava says.
“Is everything okay?” Maria asks. “Do you need anything? Tell me how I can help.”
I shake my head. “I’m okay, here. I just need you two to sit tight a few more days. I don’t know how long I’ll be.”
“Jean-Pierre came to visit today,” Ava announces with a smile.
My stomach drops. “What?” I look at Maria, who shakes her head, looking guilty. “Did you…have a good time?”
“Yeah, we went to the park, and he bought me ice cream.”
“Did you bundle up?” I ask. “It’s cold outside. Ice cream is silly in winter!”
Ava presses her hand over her mouth and giggles. “I was warm enough, I promise. And it’s not so cold here; you’ve stolen all the snow.”
I laugh softly and listen to Ava babble, but I struggle to focus on my daughter’s conversation. The idea that Jean-Pierre went to see her fills me with dread.
“Can I go play?” Ava asks Maria.
“Bye,ma Cherie,” I say to her. “I’ll see you soon.”
Ava blows kisses before she bounds away and it’s just Maria and me. I switch the call over to phone—I don’t need to see her for this, and I want her right in my ear where I can hear her without waking Noah.
“Tell me that didn’t happen,” I say.
“I’m sorry, Raven. We couldn’t get through to you before now, else I would have let you know. But it wasn’t as bad as you feared it would be. Ava loved seeing him again.”
“Of course, she would. All he’s ever done is buy her gifts. She still likes it, but you can’t buy love. He’s using her to get back to me.”
“Maybe he just misses her, Raven. He’s not a monster.”
“No, he’s not a monster. But he’s selfish, and everything he does is for personal gain. He wants to get back together. He called me a short while ago to ask me to try again.”
“What did you say?”
“What do you think I said? I’m not going to walk that road again; I’m not a fool. I know to leave well-enough alone, and he wasn’t good for either of us. Ava likes ice cream and gifts, and she only remembers the good, but she wasn’t happy when he was with us, Maria. You know that.”
“I know, I know,” Maria says. “When you get home, we’ll figure it out, okay? It’s not so bad, don’t worry yourself.”
But it’s too late. I’m already panicking. Jean-Pierre is a man I was glad to see walk away. I always feel like men leave, like I told Noah last night, but I didn’t want Jean-Pierre to stick around. And I don’t want him messing with the perfect life Ava and I have now. It took us a while to find our own stride, but we’re happy, just the two of us.
I glance toward the bedroom when I think it, Noah immediately on my mind. But I push the thought away—it doesn’t matter how happy he makes me.
“Don’t let him see her again, okay? I don’t want him near her. Not until I’m back and I can deal with this.”
“Raven…”
