His face tightened.
“You’ve got two daughters now.”
“I’ve apologized, Mom. What else can I do?”
“Give me time. You spent three years making decisions without me. I can’t rebuild my trust in a few weeks.”
He stood and reached for his coat.
For a moment, I was back in that January morning.
“Are you leaving because you’re angry?”
“I need some time.”
“What else can I do?”
“Then take it. But Lucas, if we’re going to have a relationship, you can’t disappear whenever things get difficult.”
He hesitated.
“I’ll call tomorrow.”
“All right.”
I watched him leave without asking him to stay.
At eight that evening, my phone buzzed.
“I’m home. I’m okay. I need some time to think.”
I replied.
“Thank you for telling me.”
He called the next morning, as promised.
Three days later, he came back with Hannah and a written breakdown of their expenses.
