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“Well, that makes me feel better. I’m really glad to know she has somebody so wonderful watching over her every day,” he said.
“She really is fantastic. I’m so grateful to have found her. Not just for Willa, but also for me. She’s been a great friend,” I confirmed. “She’ll give me a call when she feels like it’s safe, or I’ll call her back in a little while. She should be able to stay with her. Pam loves being Grandma to Willa.”
I regretted the words as soon as they came out of my mouth. They weren’t the right thing to say and didn’t come out how I intended them. But I saw his face change; some of the happiness melted away, and a touch of seriousness came to the edges of his eyes.
“Willa has a grandma here,” he pointed out. “She would love to watch Willa anytime she has the opportunity.”
I nodded, trying to swallow a painful lump of emotion that came to my throat and fight the tears that swelled in my eyes. Reaching over, I took his hand.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I really didn’t mean it like that. I know Minnie is her grandmother, and I’m so happy she has her in her life now. I only meant Pam has been really amazing for both of us. And a little while ago she told me about her daughter. She is Pam’s only child and has decided she never wants to have children. She also moved far away, so Pam rarely gets to see her. She doesn’t have any actual grandchildren and has always wanted them, so she’s been thinking of me as a stand-in daughter and Willa as the closest thing to a grandbaby she’ll ever get. She’s not trying to get in the way or take over anything from your family,” I explained.
“I can imagine that’s really hard on her,” Darren said. “I know how much my parents have wanted grandchildren for years and were worried they weren’t going to have any. I’m perfectly fine with Willa having as many grandparents as are willing to love on her. But I do want to make sure she gets to know my family and spends as much time with them as she can.”
“Absolutely,” I said. “Whenever we can, I would love to spend more time with them. And for Willa to be able to spend time with them just on her own, too. There’s something really special about having a relationship with your grandparents and getting to be spoiled by them without your parents around. I want her to be able to experience that as much as she can. It’s just really important to me not to leave Pam behind. I don’t know what I would have done without her.”
Darren nodded his agreement, but before he could say anything, my phone rang. It was Pam. She agreed to watch Willa that night and sounded overjoyed to plan an evening with her. I was looking forward to having an evening with Darren, but I knew we needed to talk. Even more now than ever.
37
Darren
“Ready to go?” I asked at the end of the day.
“No,” Kelly said, getting everything out of her locker and starting toward the parking lot.
“And yet you’re leaving,” I pointed out.
She smiled and looked at me.
“I’m going to my house to get ready. You can pick me up there in an hour,” she told me.
“Why don’t I just come with you?” I asked.
“That wouldn’t be much of a date, now would it?” she asked.
She grinned, and I knew exactly what she was talking about. We’d been spending so much time together, and it felt like we were settling into a relationship, but at the same time we hadn’t even gone on a real date. We hadn’t purposely gone out to spend time just together except for when we’d gone to the seafood restaurant to talk about the DNA test results. I wouldn’t really call that a date.
Kelly kissed me and climbed into her car. I watched her drive off, but then hurried to hop on my bike. I only had an hour until Kelly would be ready for our date, and there was a lot to be done before then. I needed to get cleaned up and changed, and if she was expecting a date, that’s what I was going to give her, complete with a bouquet of flowers for both her and Willa, and a box of chocolates. It was cliché and cheesy, but that’s what made it perfect.
I arrived at the apartment, and Pam answered the door. Willa gave me a huge grin when I handed her the single pink rose I got for her. Her little nose buried in the petals, she closed her eyes and drew in a breath.
“Her first flower,” Kelly said from the hallway leading from her bedroom.
