Extraits

“I don’t know. Why do I feel so worried for him?”

“Because you love him.”

Atlas’s eyes scroll over my face. “Is that why I always feel worried for you? Because I love you?”

Ryle is the father of my daughter. No matter what man comes and goes in my life from this point forward, Ryle is the one constant that I'll always have to appease if I want the most peaceful experience for my daughter.

“The teachers at school talk like we have to decide on one thing we love and stick with it, but I want to do a hundred things.”

I love how animated he is right now. He reminds me so much of a younger Atlas. “Like what?”

“I want to be a professional fisherman. I don’t know how to fish, but it sounds fun. And I want to be a chef. And sometimes I think it would be fun to make a movie.”

“Sometimes I dream of selling my flower shop and opening a clothing boutique.”

“I want to make pottery and sell it at fairs.”

“I’d like to write a book someday.”

“I want to be the captain of a ship,” he says.

“I think it would be fun to be an art teacher.”

“I think it would be fun to be a bouncer at a strip club.”

"Well : just in case Lily…"

“We aren’t pretending. We are going to spend the rest of our lives together.”

“How long do we have to wait until we start?”

“From the looks of it, we’ve already started,” I say.

“How long do I have to wait before I ask you to move in with me?”

Heat swirls in my stomach. “Six months, at least.”

He nods as if he’s taking mental notes. “And how long before I’m allowed to propose?”

A thickness forms in my throat, making it hard to swallow. “A year. Year and a half.”

“A year from when we move in together or a year from now?”

“From now.”

He grins, pulling me flat against him. “Good to know.”

“How long has it been since we ran into each other on the street?”

“Forty days,” I say. I’ve been counting.

He makes a huh sound, like that surprises him.

“Why? Does it feel longer?”

“No, I just wanted to know if you’ve been counting like I have.”

He still possesses all the good qualities I fell in love with, and now that I'm no longer in a relationship with him, it's rare I see the negative side that ultimately ended our marriage.

“You expect me to what—to cheer you two on? To wish you well? To encourage you to be a good father to my fucking daughter?” He laughs at the absurdity he finds in the idea of that, but I keep a very straight face.

“Yes. Exactly that.”

“I already miss you.”

I nod in agreement. “There’s been a lot of that on my end,” I admit. “I’m kind of obsessed with you, Lily Bloom.”

Yes, asking for divorce hurt. Yes, I was heartbroken. But no, I don't regret it. My choice helped me realize that sometimes the hardest decisions a person can make will most likely lead to the best outcomes