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“I wanna do that!” She jumps up and down and claps.
“It’s a deal then.” Jimmy gives her a hug. “Be good for your mom while I’m gone, okay?”
She nods, and he ruffles her hair.
“Why don’t you go pick out a bathing suit and we’ll head to the rec center and go swimming?”
“Okay, Mommy.” She spins and runs down the hall to her room.
“Good save,” Jimmy says.
I chuckle. “Thanks. One thing I’ve learned is that when in doubt—bribe.”
He laughs for a second, but it dies with a weird edge. “Listen, there’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you about.”
He pushes a hand through his hair. He’s going to be bald when we reach the other side of these awkward conversations. The press will blame me for ruining James Crawford’s thick dark hair.
“What’s up?”
“I was wondering when you thought Adelaide might be able to visit with me?”
The air rushes from my lungs. That’s not what I thought he was going to ask, but Jimmy, being Jimmy, doesn’t always wait for one thing to absorb before introducing the next obstacle. It’s not like I didn’t know this moment was coming. But I don’t want to see her. I don’t want my daughter to see her. I can’t help but feel a little like Adelaide stole what was mine, even though I basically handed it to her with my fuck-ups.
I swallow my ill feelings. “Um… when do you want her to come?”
“Not next weekend. I’d like to give Monica more time to get used to the idea of me being her dad. But maybe the weekend after, depending on how it goes?”
“Yeah, okay. Sure.”
“Great, thanks. She’ll be excited when I tell her.”
I nod and smile tightly. “Have a safe flight. We’ll see you next weekend. Text me and let me know when it’s okay for us to FaceTime you.”
“I don’t have much this week. Meeting with Keane to go over a few scripts to see if I can move out of unemployment after the wedding.”
Every time he mentions his wedding, it’s as if someone jabbed me with a knife to the heart. I’ve seen pictures of the two of them on magazine covers for more than a year now, so I should be used to it. But rather than pushing the unwanted feeling away like I usually do, I allow myself to feel the weight of losing him completely and acknowledge the need to move on. No good comes of me pretending something isn’t bothering me.
“Well, good luck with that.”
He nods and heads out the door. I watch him make his way to the car and wave at him before he climbs inside.
Two weeks. I have two weeks until I face Adelaide. Not nearly enough time to stop hating her.
* * *
Two weeks fly by,and before I can fully grasp what’s about to happen, it’s Friday night and Jimmy and Adelaide are due to arrive. I decide to make tacos for dinner. It’ll keep me in the kitchen on meal prep, which means less time aroundher.
A knock on the door sounds, and Monica’s footsteps barreling down the hallway comes next.
“Jimmy!” she says right before I step out of the kitchen.
I turn the corner and watch Jimmy pick up Monica. Adelaide's behind him with a strained smile.
“Hey, sweetie. How are you?”
“Good. Who are you?”
“Manners, Monica,” I say as I walk down the short hallway.
