The Goodbye

“Yes,” I assured her, and she looked relieved.

“OK, when can I see him?”

I knew this would happen. Once she decided on something, she wanted it right then and there. “He said he would be ready when you are,” I replied.

Franny took a deep breath and nodded her head. “I’m ready.”

This was it. All those years of wondering, and this was it. River would be in his daughter’s life. I had wanted this for so long. Franny deserved it. “OK.” I pulled out my phone and texted Captain.

She’s ready to see you.

It wasn’t even thirty seconds before he replied.

Do you want me to come there, or would it be easier on her if we met for ice cream or something?

I looked up at Franny, who was watching me and chewing her bottom lip nervously.

Ice cream would be good, I think.

He replied immediately.

Meet me at the Sugar Shack when you’re ready. I’ll be waiting.

This was going so fast. He’d just seen Franny yesterday, and that was a total accident. Now he was meeting her and officially becoming a part of her life. I looked at my daughter. There was a chance that this could hurt me, but I’d go through any pain for her. If I could just remember that Captain wasn’t my River. Not anymore. I hoped I could trust my heart to realize what my head already did. I wasn’t getting River back.

“We’re going to meet him at the Sugar Shack for ice cream,” I told her with a smile. She had been to the Sugar Shack once. It had been a treat when I got my first paycheck once we moved here. It was a quaint little ice cream parlor full of every candy you could imagine, right on the beach.

She clapped and jumped up. “I’ll go get dressed.”

I watched her run back to the bedroom and hoped I was doing the right thing. If this made her that happy, I feared I was setting her up for potential pain, too. But I had to stick with my decision. My gut said that no matter what, Captain would be there for her. He might have bad taste in women, but that was something I’d discuss with him once we were past this. Franny would have to be the most important girl in his life now.

Eleven years ago

I watched from a distance as Delany flirted with River. Because it would possibly get me kicked out of the house if a teacher noticed that River and I were a couple, we didn’t act any differently at school. I wanted to hold his hand, but we both knew that if someone told his parents, they’d move me out. Then I’d be sent to a home for girls until I was eighteen. Those had terrible reputations, and I’d never see River again.

The hardest thing was watching girls flirt with River. He never flirted back, and he always kept his distance, but it was still hard to watch. I wondered if he would start to hate me because his life was so hard with me in it. I didn’t want to be a burden to him, but I wasn’t helpful. His mother went crazy whenever I was around, so he had to keep me away from her. I couldn’t be a normal girlfriend, so he didn’t get to take me to parties, which meant he didn’t go to them, either.

Delany touched his chest, and I stopped breathing, watching and wishing I could walk away and trust him. But it was more than trust. I wanted to see his face. See if he wanted her, too. It was all I had to reassure me.

Those full lips of his that I loved to touch turned down in displeasure as he took her hand and removed it while backing away. I was too far from them to hear him, but he looked annoyed. The tightness in my chest that I knew was jealousy slowly faded, and I had started to turn to leave when his eyes locked with mine.

I was caught. I wished I’d left sooner. I didn’t like him thinking I spied on him. That was unfair, too. He didn’t need me watching his every move. The corners of his lips lifted, and he smirked at me, then started walking my way. I could run now, so I didn’t have to confront him, but I’d still have to face it later.

Delany called out to him, and he didn’t glance back. Her hateful gaze bored into me, before she turned on her heel and stalked off angrily. I didn’t mind if she thought River was with me. She wasn’t anyone who could hurt us.

“Enjoy the show?” he asked, his smirk softening with his words.

I felt my cheeks heat up and ducked my head, unable to look him in the eyes. I was guilty, and it was embarrassing. “Sorry. I was just walking by and saw you . . .” I trailed off.

His hand brushed mine, which was the only contact we dared to have at school other than talking. “You’re my girl, Addy. You know that. Don’t want no one else.” His voice was a low, husky whisper.

My insides felt warm. Only River made me feel like that. Before him, I didn’t know you could feel like a summer day was pulsing through every limb of your body, complete with sunshine and sweet lemonade.

“I know. I just . . . I was . . . I’m sorry,” I said finally. There was nothing else I could say. He knew why I’d watched him. I wasn’t going to lie.

River chuckled. “I figure if your girl is jealous, she wants you as much as you want her. If she stops being jealous, she wants someone else. I’ll take the jealousy. It’s sweet.”

Smiling, I looked up into his eyes. “I was going to say I wasn’t jealous, but if that’s how you see it, then I was incredibly jealous.” I whispered so no one else could hear me.

River winked. “Good. Because any guy who looks your way makes me see red. Let’s get to class.”

I walked beside him back into the hallway, with my chest so big and full of love it was a wonder it didn’t explode right there.

Captain

I sat on a bench just outside the Sugar Shack, watching for Addy’s car. I had gotten here ten minutes after she texted, knowing it could be an hour before they arrived, but I wasn’t going to let them get here first. I wanted this. I also needed to see Addy again, because I’d been a mess last night. I’d hardly been able to speak or make sense of anything; I’d been so distracted by her sitting across from me and knowing it was her.