Page 46 of The Loves We Lost

Avery turns to me. “I’ve got an uncle.”

“How cool is that?” I reply. “Maybe you can send ... Daddy ... and Uncle Colton letters to practice your writing.”

“Can I send them pictures I color?”

I nod. “I think that would be lovely.”

She turns to Miles and smiles. “Okay, Daddy.”

Miles swallows hard, then rubs a hand over his face. “Okay, sweetheart.”

“Can we go tell Mr. Niro that I’m gonna call himUncle Colton?”

“He’s not here yet, but if you want to go play on the swing over there, I’ll message him and tell him you’re looking for him.”

“Yes. Tell him I like apple pie too.”

And with that, Avery skips off towards the worn-down play area that I suddenly have the urge to renovate.

“How are you doing?” I ask Miles when she’s out of earshot.

“Think I’m gonna get a passport and fly you both to Paris, and then get her a puppy, and buy her a princess bed.”

I laugh at that. “She has a way of tying you up in knots, doesn’t she?”

Miles reaches for my hand, and I let him take it. His hand is clammy. The fact he was nervous makes this moment even more special. “How do you ever say no to her?” he asks.

“Because I have to parent for life. It’s easy to say yes in the moment. Allergies aside, I love the idea of a dog. But actually caring for one every day when I’m away sometimes would be tough. And, yes, who wouldn’t love pastry for breakfast sevendays a week, and pizza for dinner every night? But I need to think about long-term nutrition and not getting sick.”

Miles kisses my knuckles. “Thanks for giving me this. It must have been hard to be alone and pregnant.”

I’m about to reply when a gaggle of women rushes out of the clubhouse.

“Bates,” one of them says as they approach. “Why did you not tell usthiswas your family?”

She’s holding one of my books. It’s annotated with sticky notes all the way through it.

Miles grins at me. “Vi, this is Rae, King’s old lady. And Briar, Saint’s old lady. And finally, Iris, who is pregnant, which is driving Spark loopy. Ladies, this is Viola, and over there is my daughter, Avery.”

Jaws drop, smiles grow, and Miles keeps hold of my hand.

“Hey,” I say. “Nice to meet you.”

“Gwen is mad she can’t make it because she’s working.” Rae sits down next to me. “I’ve just got to get this out. I loved this book so much. I loved how the heroine wasn’t a pushover, even in a world like this, because it’s so easy to become one.”

Iris nods. “You got that balance of wanting to be independent and needing to feel valued and safe just right.”

“Thank you. I’ve always loved the old-fashioned wordgumptionto describe women. And I feel like the men should have to work for their redemption.”

Miles laughs. “No kidding.” I raise an eyebrow, and he shrugs. “Truth, babe.”

“I don’t know if your publisher ever told you, but I designed Fortune’s cover from the description in the book,” Briar says.

My eyes widen. “For real?”

Briar nods. “I’m a freelance artist.”

“In that case, we need to chat, because I would love to work with you again. I’m a hybrid author. Some books traditionallypublished and some I publish on my own. I loved Fortune’s cover.” Working in person with a designer will be so refreshing after trying to brainstorm and share feedback on book covers through messages with publishers.