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Brady's already looking at me when I turn to find him. I don't bother hiding the smile on my face as I lead Steve and Brianna over to his booth by the window.
"Hi," he rasps when we reach him.
"Hi," I say back. "There are some people I'd like you to meet."
Brady sets down the paper he's reading.
"This is Steve," I step aside to let Steve through. "My ex-husband."
Steve offers Brady his hand the same way he did Angie. "Nice to meet you, Brady. I've heard a lot of great things about you."
"Same," Brady tips his chin. He's lying, but I appreciate the effort.
"And this is Brianna," I reach for my daughter.
Steve hands her off to me as Brady's gaze flits from my face to my daughter's. "Brianna, it's very nice to meet you."
"What's your name?" Brianna asks him.
"Brady," he answers.
"Brady," she says back to him as she points to the paper on the table. "That's my auntie Ava's newspaper."
We all laugh as Brady holds it up. "It is."
"Do you know my Aunt Ava?" she asks him.
Brady folds the newspaper up. "I do know her."
"How?"
"Well," I interrupt, "Brady has lived on the mountain almost as long as Mommy and Aunt Ava have. And eventually, you get to know everyone who lives here."
"Do you know my grandpa?" Brianna leans forward and whispers to Brady.
"I do," he whispers back.
"Huh," Brianna tilts her white-blond head to the side.
"Would you like to join me for breakfast?" Brady asks Brianna.
"Yes," she nods.
Brianna and I take a seat opposite Brady leaving Steve to sit in the booth beside him. I hold my breath as Angie passes around menus, takes our order, and then disappears to grab coffee for the adults and orange juice for Brianna.
We all make small talk until our food arrives. I try my hardest not to stare at Brady, but the memory of his hands—of his tongue—on my body makes it hard to concentrate. It's hard to concentrate when I want to be sitting right next to him.
Steve and Brady bond over their mutual love of the mountains and amusement parks. There's a lull in conversationwhen Steve asks Brady why he's not married. I make a joke about relationships being hard work and we move on to the next topic. Brady tells Steve the story of how he got into the tech world, and Steve marvels at the genius of owning a ski resort that doubles as an office.
It hits me how perfect some moments are as I watch my first love and my ex-husband converse. I used to think losing Brady was another horrible tragedy, but as Brianna and I play Tic Tac Toe on a napkin, I know it wasn't.
There's a right person at the wrong time and the wrong person at the right time. And sometimes, they sit at the same table and you discover that everything works out exactly the way it's supposed to.
And as the right person gives me a cheeky grin while Steve recounts embarrassing story after embarrassing story, I feel it. The right person is still the right person no matter the timing. Even if nine years and a thousand miles separate them.
Brady's foot finds mine under the table and I wrap an arm around Brianna as Steve asks Brady another question.
That's when it hits me. I love him. Maybe I love him more now than I did a decade ago.
