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“We are starting to. It’s going to be hard with me in class for another several weeks; maybe I can get back for a weekend, but I’m not sure. Training gets more intense now, and I need to focus.”
“Ethan, son, you focus on your job. Riley has a lot of people here who will be watching out for her.”
“I just don’t want her to do anything stupid.”
“What? Like fall in love with another man? Or start drinking again?”
“No—well, yeah.”
My father smirked. “Riley is a spitfire, she always has been, but she’s not reckless. I think she realized that she was drinking a little bit too much, and the baby came at the perfect time to help her get through that. As for another man, she loves you.”
“You know, sometimes I think that she does. Like I see it in her eyes, but then other times I feel like I’m making it up.” I hesitated. “How did you know that Mom loved you?”
He smiled slowly as if a fond memory was coming to his mind. “I felt it in her touch, in the way she looked for me when we were in a crowd. Her eyes sparkled at me, but not at any other man, even if she was flirting with them, but it was her words that told me the most.”
“Because she said she loved you?”
He shook his head. “No, because she trusted me enough to tell me everything. The good, the bad—everything. She told me her secrets, her fears, and because of that, I knew she loved me because you can’t love someone fully if you can’t trust them.”
“Good point, Dad.”
“I have a couple of those,” he jested.
When he dropped me off, I hugged him tightly, and then the two of us looked at one another long and hard. I felt like a part of me was trying to memorize this moment in case he died while I was gone.
“Son.” He put his hand around the back of my neck and stared at me hard. “I’m gonna be here when you get home.”
Damn, how did the man know what I’d been thinking? “I know you will, Dad. I love you.”
“And I love you. We will keep an eye on Riley for you. Don’t you worry about her.”
“Thanks, Dad.” I gathered my bag and then disappeared into the terminal.
I was just sitting down at the gate when my phone vibrated with a text. I took it out and saw it was Riley.Hope your flight was okay.
I typed her back.Haven’t gotten on it yet, but thanks. How did it go with your breakup?
Would you believe he broke up with me before I could do it to him?
Not surprised. You did have a half-naked man in your house last night, and your hair did look a little sex wild.
That’s not funny, Ethan.A moment later, there was another message.But seriously, he had come over to see me last night to break up with me. He said that he met someone else.
Hallelujah!Aw, darn, I typed to her.
I know you are utterly heartbroken.
I truly am.I wanted to tell her that I loved her, but I didn’t. Instead, I typed,Tell my little one I love it. I’ll talk to you tonight.
Bye, Ethan. Your little one loves you back.
I stared at that message until my screen went blank. Yes, I was happy that she had told me that, but how I wish it had saidwelove you back.
