PART 10:
See you tomorrow. After they hung up, Daniel called his lawyer. Got voicemail. Left a message asking about custody law and hypothetical challenges and how worried he should actually be. Then he went to find Sophie. She was on her bed, surrounded by drawings. Moon rocks featured prominently, along with stick figures labeled me and Dad, standing on what appeared to be the lunar surface.
Hey, bug. Can we talk? Sophie set down her marker. Am I in trouble? No. Why would you be in trouble? Because you have your serious face on. I just want to ask you something about the lady I’ve been seeing. Sophie sat up straighter, interested. If I keep seeing her, Daniel said carefully, your mom might get upset.
It might cause some arguments. I need to know if that’s going to bother you. Will you and Mom fight more? Possibly. Will I have to choose sides? Never. This is between your mom and me. You don’t have to choose anything. Sophie thought about this, chewing her lower lip. Will the lady be nice to me? Yes. Will she try to replace Mom? No one could replace your mom.
She’s your mom. The lady, her name is Ariana, she’d be someone I care about, separate from you and your mom. Like how Emma has a dad and also her mom has a boyfriend? Kind of like that, but not exactly because Ariana and I are just starting to figure things out. Sophie nodded slowly. I think you should see her if she makes you smile like that.
Like what? Like you did when you were on the phone. You looked happy. Daniel’s throat tightened. Yeah? Yeah. You don’t look happy a lot. Not really happy. But you did then. He pulled her into a hug, this small person who saw too much and understood too well. I love you, bug. Love you, too, Dad. She pulled back. Can I meet her soon? I want to see if she’s really nice or if you’re just lying because you like like her.
I’m not lying. That’s exactly what someone who’s lying would say. You’re too smart for your own good. Grandma says I get that from Mom’s side. Your grandma says a lot of things. That night, after Sophie was asleep, Daniel sat at his kitchen table with a beer he wasn’t drinking and sketches he wasn’t working on.
His phone sat silent beside him, but his mind was chaos. Miranda’s threats, Ariana’s confidence, Sophie’s perceptiveness, the project sketches that represented everything he’d given up and might get back. The simple fact that for the first time in 2 years, he felt something other than numbness. His phone buzzed. A photo loaded. Ariana, still in her office apparently, holding up a coffee cup at what had to be close to midnight.
The message read, “Still thinking. Wanted you to know you’re not alone in the overthinking department.” He smiled despite himself, took a photo of his untouched beer, sent it back with “Great minds think too much alike.” “Can’t sleep either?” “Nope.” “Too many variables.” “Want to talk through them?” “Not sure that would help.
” “Probably not.” “But might make the overthinking less lonely.” Daniel stared at his phone, at this woman who somehow understood exactly what he needed without him having to explain it. “Call me.” he typed. She did. He answered. “Hey.” she said. “Hey.” “This is crazy, right? All of this?” “Completely insane.” “And we’re doing it anyway?” “Looks like it.
” Ariana laughed softly. “My therapist is going to have a field day with this.” “You have a therapist?” “Everyone should have a therapist, especially people with my family.” “Fair point.” They talked for an hour about nothing important, about everything important, about the ways their lives had led them to this unlikely intersection.
When they finally said goodnight, Daniel felt steadier, still uncertain, still aware of all the ways this could explode, but steadier. He fell asleep with his phone on the pillow beside him and woke to a message sent at 3:00 a.m. “Thank you.” “For not running.” “For being willing to try.” “For tomorrow.” He typed back, “Thank you for being worth the risk.
” Then he got up, made coffee, and started sketching a community center that might never exist, but represented everything he’d stopped letting himself want. Tomorrow he’d see her again. Tomorrow they’d figure out next steps. Tomorrow Miranda might make good on her threats or might be bluffing like Ariana said.
But today, right now, in the quiet of his kitchen with morning light filtering through cheap blinds, Daniel let himself hope. It was terrifying. It was also the most alive he’d felt in years. Sunday morning came with rain, the kind that turned the city gray and made everything feel heavier. Daniel stood in front of his closet for the third time, second-guessing every choice.
Meeting for coffee was one thing. What they were about to do felt different, weighted with implications he wasn’t ready to examine too closely. Sophie knocked on his door, already dressed in jeans and her favorite hoodie with planets on it. “You’re doing the shirt thing again.” she observed. “What shirt thing?” “Where you put one on, look in the mirror, make a face, then try another one.
” She counted on her fingers. “You’ve done it four times now.” “Have not.” “Have too.” “I’ve been watching.” She flopped on his bed. “Is today the day I meet her?” Daniel’s hand stilled on the navy sweater he’d been considering. “How did you know about today?” “Because you’re acting even weirder than normal.” “And you made fancy breakfast.
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