Page 34 of The Lilac River

Bertie, talking a mile a minute, and Lily crouched beside her, listening like she was the most fascinating creature on Earth. The way Lily tilted her head, the way she leaned in closer, laughing and smiling at every word, it knocked the air right out of my lungs. I gripped a chair to steady myself. Because if I walked over to her at that moment, there would be no going back. I would take her in my arms when it was probably the worst thing I could ever do.

"Nash."

The sickly-sweet voice. Monica Patterson.

Brought me back to earth, reminding me that over the other side of the classroom was a broken promise. An unanswered prayer.

Even so, I didn’t look at Monica but kept my eyes on Bertie and Lily.

"Didn’t think you had a kid in this class, Monica," I muttered.

"I don’t," she said. "Just doing the rounds. Making sure everyone’s having fun."

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught her glancing around like a gossiping magpie.

"They look happy to me," I said, nodding toward the kids coloring at the big table.

Monica clucked her tongue. "Hmm." She laid a hand on my bicep. "Anyway, how are you? You know, with you-know-who being back."

I stepped out of her reach, not bothering to hide my disgust. "If you mean Lily, I’m perfectly fine. We’re both adults."

"If you ever want to talk," she purred, "Byron’s out of town. We could have dinner."

If she was the last woman left on Earth, I’d take a vow of celibacy.

"Busy," I said flatly. "See you around, Monica."

I didn’t wait for a response. Just moved away, counting down the minutes until I could grab Bertie and get the hell out of there.

"Daddy, Daddy!"

I snapped out of my angry fog and turned, forcing a smile.

"Hey, Munchkin, what’s wrong?"

"Nothing!" She bounced on her toes. "Don't you think Miss. Gray is amazing? Isn’t she so pretty?"

"Yeah," I said, voice thick, "she seems lovely."

"And she's real smart too! She knows where the Trifle Tower is."

"Eiffel," I corrected gently.

"That’s what I said!" she said with a little huff.

I chuckled despite myself.

She looked back toward Lily, her little face full of admiration. "She’s such a good teacher, Daddy."

I nodded, swallowing hard. Everything Bertie said was true. And every word felt like a punch to the gut.

Because I knew.

I knew what Lily had dreamed of being.

Twelve Years Ago

"What do you want to do after college?" I asked, hands shoved deep in my pockets.