PART 6:

” He hit send before he could reconsider. The typing indicator appeared immediately, stayed there. His heart hammered. Would that be so terrible? Yes. Objectively, yes. Miranda would lose her mind. Your family would lose their minds. It would be a disaster. That’s not what I asked. It would be terrible and terrifying and complicated beyond measure.

But, Daniel closed his eyes, opened them, typed, “But, I’m starting to think it might be worth it anyway.” The response took longer this time. Tomorrow, same time. We’ll figure this out. Will we? We’ll try. That’s all anyone can do. Daniel drove home in a daze, his mind spinning through possibilities and consequences in equal measure.

What was he doing? What were they doing? Sophie was at her friend Emma’s house for the afternoon, which left Daniel alone with his thoughts, never a good combination. He tried to work on client projects, but couldn’t focus. Tried to watch TV, but nothing held his attention. Finally, he did what he always did when overwhelmed. He called his daughter.

Emma’s mom answered. “Daniel, we were just about to have a snack. Want to talk to Sophie?” If she’s not busy. “Sophie, your dad’s on the phone.” A moment later, his daughter’s voice came through slightly breathless. “Dad, is everything okay?” “Everything’s fine, bug. Just wanted to hear your voice.” “That’s weird.

You’re being weird again.” “Maybe I just missed you.” “I’ve been gone for 3 hours.” “Is there a time limit on missing your kid?” Sophie giggled. “You’re being mushy. Are you sure you’re okay?” “I’m great, having a good day.” “Is it because of the lady?” Daniel’s hand tightened on the phone. “What lady?” “The nice lady you said you had coffee with.

Did you see her again?” “Yeah, I did.” “And?” “And what?” “Was she still nice?” “She was.” “Good.” A pause. “Emma’s mom made cookies. Can I have one?” “Sure, bug. I’ll pick you up at 5:00.” “Love you, Dad.” “Love you, too.” He hung up feeling both better and worse. Better because Sophie’s voice always grounded him. Worse because he was keeping things from her.

Not lying, exactly, but not being fully honest, either. When had he become this person? When had simple honesty become so complicated? His phone buzzed. Still thinking? Haven’t stopped. Me, either. For what it’s worth, I’m terrified, too. Of what? This. Whatever this is. I haven’t let myself feel anything real in years. And now here you are with your accidentally liked profile and your space-obsessed daughter and your honest answers, and I don’t know what to do with any of it.

Daniel read the message three times. Then he called her. She answered on the second ring. “I didn’t expect actual phone contact.” “Neither did I, but texting felt insufficient.” “For what?” “For telling you that I understand.” “The terrified thing. I’ve spent 2 years building walls, and you just walked through them like they weren’t even there.

” Ariana was quiet for a moment. When she spoke, her voice was softer than he’d heard it. “I don’t want to hurt you or Sophie or anyone.” “I know, but I also don’t want to walk away from this, whatever this becomes.” “I know that, too.” “So, what do we do?” Daniel looked around his small apartment, at Sophie’s drawings on the fridge, at the life he’d carefully constructed from the ruins of his marriage.

“We take it slow,” he said. “We’re honest. We protect Sophie. And we see where this goes.” “That sounds reasonable.” “It does, doesn’t it? Almost suspiciously reasonable.” “Should we be more reckless?” “God, no. I’m terrified enough as it is.” She paused. “Tomorrow, coffee. We’ll talk about everything, the project, this thing between us, all of it.

” “Okay.” “Daniel?” “Yeah?” “Thank you for calling, for being honest, for not running.” “I’m still working on the not running part.” “Me, too.” They said goodbye, and Daniel sat in the gathering darkness of his apartment, phone in hand, feeling like he just stepped off a cliff. The question wasn’t whether he’d fall.

It was whether someone would be there to catch him. The weekend arrived with the kind of unseasonable warmth that made people forget it was still technically spring. Daniel woke Saturday morning to Sophie jumping on his bed, already dressed in her favorite astronaut T-shirt. “Dad! Dad! Dad! We have to go to the Science Museum today, right now.

” He groaned, pulling the pillow over his head. “Bug, it’s 7:00 in the morning.” “The museum opens at 9:00. We need time to get ready and eat breakfast and drive there.” “And all right, all right, I’m up.” He pushed the pillow aside to find Sophie’s face inches from his, eyes wide with determination. “What brought this on?” “Emma’s mom took her last week, and she said they have a new space exhibit with real moon rocks, and I need to see it.

” “Real moon rocks, huh?” “Real ones, Dad, from the actual moon.” Daniel couldn’t help but smile. “Give me 20 minutes to shower. Go pick out what you want for breakfast.” Sophie rocketed off the bed and thundered down the hallway. Daniel lay there for another moment, staring at the ceiling, trying to organize the chaos in his head.

Tomorrow, he was supposed to meet Ariana again to talk about the project, about whatever was happening between them. The smart thing would be to back out now before things got more complicated. But when he thought about not seeing her, something in his chest tightened uncomfortably. His phone buzzed on the nightstand. Early morning thoughts.

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