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I wait for her to disappear behind the glass doors before I spit, “Pawning off your beautiful child won’t earn you any brownie points.”
John cocks his head, making an innocent face. “I’m not pawning her off.”
“What are you doing, then?” I ask Dr. Innocent, who’s clearly fighting to suppress a smirk.
“Showing you that even my rotten genes can produce a perfect human being…”
The smile finally breaks on his beautiful face.
I scowl.
He’s won this one, and he knows it.
Nora beckons us from behind the glass. John makes a sweeping gesture with his arm, saying, “After you.”
29
JOHN
Watching Marissa and Nora together is pulling all kinds of strings in my heart. They’re sharing a booth while I’m on the other side of the table.
They’re not doing anything special, just bouncing around ideas for Nora’s science fair project. But the way Marissa is with her shows what kind of mother she’ll be. One who would stay, who would be a steady presence, and be there when one of the kids wakes up at night scared by a bad dream or needing a hug. Whatever the decision the little ones made, Marissa would be ready to listen and support them.
To hell with the co-parents thing. I want us to be a real family.
“Dad!” Nora’s voice jolts me out of my thoughts.
My daughter sighs. “He’s doing it again,” she tells Marissa.
“Doing what?”
“Daydreaming about you. He’s in love with you, you know?”
I’m not sure whose ears get redder, mine or Marissa’s.
“L-love? No one’s in love with anybody,” Marissa stutters. “Your dad and I are just friends.”
“That’s not true,” Nora says. “You used to date. And I get why you’re still mad at him.”
Marissa can only stare at my child utterly stupefied and blink.
“If someone had ghosted me, I wouldn’t want to give them a second chance either.”
My neck heats up in shame, still I can’t help but smile at the shock on Marissa’s face. Yep, kids nowadays are that ahead.
“He… he told you about that?”
“Not exactly what he did. I think he was too ashamed of himself. But I promise he’s really sorry, and if you give him a second chance, he won’t mess up this time.”
Marissa stares at me as if to say, a little help here.
But I just flash her a fish-eating grin. “What she said.”
Marissa gives me a narrowed glare before turning her attention back to my daughter.
“You really think so, Nora? That I should forgive your dad?”
“He’s the best dad ever.”
