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Evie pushed her paper toward him and handed him a small red crayon. I watched them play. Evie won one, and then Leo won one.
I couldn’t look away because I was so enraptured with the fantasy of Leo, Evie, and me being a family.
“What are you doing here?” a male voice asked, startling me from my reverie.
Manny stood at the end of the table, his hands curled into fists.
“We’re eating dinner,” Leo said more evenly than I would have.
Manny’s lip curled. “You look awfully cozy over here. Like you’re a family.”
“The Giovannis are like my family,” I said smoothly.
“What’s going on?” Manny gestured at Leo and Evie, who sat on the same side of the booth.
“I’ll be right back,” I said to Leo and Evie as I stood and led Manny outside. “I don’t know what your problem is or what you think you saw, but I’m eating dinner with a family friend. That’s it.”
“So, you’re not fucking him?” he asked incredulously.
I flinched at the venom in his voice. “If I was, it wouldn’t be any of your business.”
“You were the one who made that decision.”
I didn’t respond because even if I’d made the decision not to stay with him, he wouldn’t have stuck around. This argument was pointless.
“You took Evie from me.”
We’d had this argument a few times, but whenever I gave in to his demands and gave him more access to Evie, he always disappointed her. I’d given up on expecting much of anything from him. I crossed my arms over my chest. “You did that all on your own. I said we wouldn’t be together as a couple but that you were free to be in Evie’s life however you wanted.”
“How was that going to be? I wasn’t even allowed to be in the delivery room.”
“You don’t support me.” Mrs. G. and Gia were there for me, and their entire family afterward. “When you’re around, it’s always about you. But this is about Evie. You choose not to visit her and not to pay child support consistently.” My stomach rumbled in hunger. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to get back to dinner.”
I opened the door, but before I could go inside, Manny grabbed my elbow and said, “This isn’t over.”
Then he was gone. I drew in a shaky breath before I steeled my expression. I returned to the booth, pleased to see the pizza had arrived and Evie was preoccupied eating hers.
“Everything okay?” Leo asked softly, his brow raised.
“It will be.” I’d take care of Manny like I always had. I kept a family attorney on retainer, and whenever he requested more time, or something else, I had her send a letter requesting he put it in writing. He never responded. That way, I could say he was the one who didn’t want to cooperate.
I believed that Evie should know her father, but he didn’t make an effort.
Leo leveled me with a look that said we’d be discussing it later, so I nodded in response. The only people I ever spoke to about Manny were Gia and my attorney, Avery. It would be good to have a male perspective.
I focused on my pizza and watched Leo help Evie eat hers. It was nice. Like I wasn’t the only one Evie could rely on. “I can’t remember the last time I ate at a restaurant.”
“You’re kidding,” Leo said, his brow raised.
I smiled. “I’m usually working at this one.”
“Mommy said it’s healthier to eat at home.”
“Your mamma’s smart, but it’s nice to have a treat every once in a while.”
I flushed because I was sure he understood why I didn’t eat out often. I had to save money. We did the drive-through on nights when we were running around or grabbed the free pizza on nights I worked. But otherwise, it wasn’t a luxury I allowed myself often.
“We should take her out for a nice meal. At one of those fancy places.”
