Page 35

Mackenzie

Since I quit my job a month ago, I’ve embraced the summer off. Georgia is home with her family for a few months, so it just worked out. Levi and I are back at my place, and Clear Security no longer has someone living here with us, though they still check on us regularly. But things are thankfully quiet.

I take Levi to camp each day and then look for work and find ways to keep busy until I pick him up. This week he’s been at a soccer camp, and this afternoon they had a fun scrimmage to celebrate the end of the session. The final whistle still echoes in my ears as Levi flings his hands in the air like he just won the World Cup.

“Best day ever!” he shouts, sheer joy on his face.

And I feel myself smiling too.

Not because everything’s perfect. Not because we finally got what we wanted.

But because, for once, I’m not waiting for someone to show up. This is enough.

Levi’s three-goal game, his impromptu orange-slice celebration, his proud, flushed cheeks—this is what matters. Not missed calls. Not hollow apologies. Not another grown man trying to make up for always being too late.

This life we’ve built is not polished or easy. It’s not what I imagined. But it’s ours.

“Hooray for summer soccer camp,” I say with a grin.

Levi beams back at me.

“And hooray for staying in San Francisco,” I add.

I have a couple leads on job options, and Ellie asked me if we’d stay here. She feels like she would fall into old habits if she moved back to LA. I want her to be in Levi’s life, so even if everything I do here reminds me of Theo, we’re staying.

“Hooray for pizza and soccer forever,” Levi declares.

And I laugh because, yeah, that sounds like a future worth fighting for. Levi runs off to gather his things, and I realize I have to figure out something for dinner tonight.

Levi gives me the play by play of the game I just watched all the way back to our condo. I love his enthusiasm.

Tabatha is on our doorstep with a pizza and bottle of wine when we arrive.

“What are you doing here?” I ask, big smile on my face. “And are you clairvoyant?”

“Kyle has the girls tonight, and I wanted to spend some time with my bestie. I miss you at work, and I figured pizza would make me appealing to everyone.”

Ah, yes. Kyle is her current boyfriend, and he has two daughters she’s never met. I don’t like him very much. I can’t pinpoint why, but in the back of my mind, he screams married . Nonetheless, I’m glad to see her, and Levi is drawn to the pizza like a moth to flame.

“I love it,” I tell her. “Clearly, you’re a wise woman. Come in.”

We go inside, and Levi dives into the pizza while I pour two glasses of wine.

I take a sip. “Oh, this is good.”

Tabatha smiles. “Isn’t it? I got it at Trader Joe’s.”

I lift my glass. “To two-buck chuck.”

After Levi eats, I talk him into a shower before he loses himself in his game console.

“Are things any better with Kyle?” I ask as I take a slice of pizza.

Tabatha shakes her head, drinks some wine, and exhales like she’s been holding it in all day. “No, not really. It’s like I only exist when the girls aren’t around. He says he’s protecting them, but I don’t know… It feels more like he’s hiding me.” She glances over at me. “Maybe I’m just his rebound.”

I’ve watched Levi struggle with Dad being busy at work and Theo no longer in our lives. So I understand not wanting to introduce someone you’ve just started seeing to your kids, but why can’t he be honest about that? Balance things a little better?

I set my glass on the coffee table and lean back beside her. “If he makes you feel like you are anything less than the amazing, perfect, beautiful, smart woman I know you are, that’s on him—not you.”

She nods, biting her lip, but I can tell she’s still wrestling with it.

“You deserve someone who wants you in every part of their life,” I add. “Not just the parts that are easy. Maybe that will just take some time, but maybe this isn’t the right fit. You know what you deserve.”

Tabatha smiles, a little sad but grateful. “Thanks. You always know what to say.”

“Maybe,” I say with a small laugh. “But I’m still figuring it out for myself.”

She raises her glass. “To figuring it out.”

I clink mine against hers. “To not settling for less.”

We sip in quiet companionship, the weight of the day lifting as the wine works its magic.

Tabatha swirls her glass. “I get it. His kids come first. They should. But at some point, I need to know if I even fit into his world.”

I nod. “Still hurts, though, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah.” She takes a long sip. “What about you? How’s the whole Theo situation? Have you heard from him?”

I exhale slowly. “He called Monday night. Things are getting hairy with Crystal. He said he missed me, but I don’t know what to do with that. I don’t think it matters because I don’t know how to trust him anymore.”

Tabatha tilts her head, watching me carefully. “Are you sure?”

“When I really needed him, he wasn’t there,” I snap. “It has to be a two-way street. I let myself get caught up, thinking with my vagina instead of my head.” I exhale, frustration tightening my chest. “Levi got so attached to him. I should have known better.”

“Levi loves him,” she says gently.

“Exactly,” I murmur. “And I let that happen. I should’ve kept my distance. Stayed at the Fairmont. Not let them get so close. It was selfish.”

Tabatha gives me a look, one of those best friend looks that sees through all the guilt. “Was it selfish? Or were you just…hoping? Letting something unfold?”

I don’t answer right away. Maybe it was both. I wanted to believe Theo could be different. It seemed he wanted to be. “I can’t make decisions based on what might be,” I say finally. “It has to be about what’s best for Levi now.”

Tabatha raises her glass. “To figuring it out, one day at a time.”

I clink my glass to hers. “One day at a time.”

We sit for a while in the kind of silence that doesn’t demand anything.

“Look,” Tabatha says eventually. “You and Theo were good together. Maybe it’s just bad timing. You all are under a ton of strain right now.”

I huff out a laugh. “Maybe it’s just bad choices.”

She studies me for a long second. “Mackenzie, timing matters more than people admit. And maybe you two weren’t meant to align right now.”

“Maybe,” I echo, but I don’t particularly believe it.

Tabatha exhales, slow and quiet, shaking her head. “You didn’t plan on Levi becoming your responsibility. You tried to give him someone to look up to. That’s not a mistake. That’s love.”

“But now?” I shake my head. “Now, it’s just…messy. And I have to clean it up.”

“Life is always messy,” Tabatha counters. “Especially love. But like you’ve said, this isn’t just about what you want with Theo anymore. It’s about what kind of life you want Levi to grow up in. And that hits different.”

I nod. I might not know what’s next, but I know one thing with absolute certainty. Levi has to be my priority. I can do this. I smile over at Tabatha, grateful in a way words can’t quite cover. “Thanks. For tonight. For…this.”

She lifts her glass with a tired grin. “Always. You’ve got this.”

And I smile again because I agree.