For the last three weeks, I’d managed to keep him at arm’s length.

It was easy enough to justify. I’d put in at least eight hours a day, placing orders, making phone calls, handling the complications of deliveries to an island. And I wasn’t even close to finished. There were drapes and carpets and artwork to select. And despite Will’s request, I hadn’t started with his bedroom. It was still waiting. And so were the particular needs he’d only mentioned. I had more than enough on my plate as it was. And so our relationship had stayed purely professional.

Even though he’d given me total control, I’d still run all the major choices past him for approval. But he’d always looked more closely at me than at the photographs. And there was something about his infinite patience that rattled me to the core. He hadn’t even tried to touch me, and yet I could feel the cord that bound us growing tighter every day. I was being pulled into his life and he was being pulled into mine. I knew a collision was coming. And the anticipation was building deep inside. Every day I put him off only made it grow stronger. And every day he was kind and patient and generous, I wanted to believe. That I could let him inside my secrets and he wouldn’t turn away. That I could give him my body without losing myself. That I could trust him not to break my heart…

Or, more importantly, my daughter’s…

Violet had remained a source of friction between us. He was eager to meet her, and it was understandable enough. She was his family, too, since he and Jimmy were half-brothers. It made him her uncle, I supposed.

I pushed away the shadows surrounding that thought, and tied my hair up into a loose ponytail. I’d already used every excuse I could think of. That she had the sniffles, that she and Mattie had taken the ferry into the city. That it simply wasn’t the right time. I’d seen it in his eyes, that he knew I was only buying time. And I knew I’d have to give in eventually. And so he was bringing Violet’s gift down to the cottage today. My stomach had been in knots all morning. I hadn’t known how to tell him about her ahead of time, so I’d simply said nothing. It had always been inevitable, that he’d find out sooner or later.

And even though there was nothing but love and pride in my heart for my baby, I dreaded seeing the look I’d seen so many times before. Embarrassment, discomfort… pity, when people realized my daughter was different from all the other children. I felt a vague wave of nausea, imagining that same look on Will’s face…

“Hi, baby,” I said, as Mattie brought her into my room. “Let’s put on an extra sweater and tie your hair back just like Mommy’s. Our friend Will is coming today to walk with us on the beach.” Mattie and I exchanged a deep look, there weren’t any secrets between us. “He lives in the big house on the hill and he has a birthday present for you.” I helped her into her sweater and smiled when she met my eyes. I let out a breath… it was a good day…

“You can collect shells and we’ll have cake when we get home,” I said softly. “Five years old…,” I said, more to myself than to her. Mattie put her hand on my shoulder. “My baby girl is growing up… I can’t believe it’s been so long…”

“We’ve got this, you know,” Mattie said, “no matter how he reacts. Violet’s life isn’t going to change, and she’s already surrounded with love.” She squeezed my shoulder and I looked at her. “Will’s nothing like Jimmy,” she said pointedly. “That was then… This is now.”

I pulled her arms around me, and for just a little longer, it felt like nothing had changed. But my heart was still beating too fast. And I knew after today, nothing could ever be the same.

We were waiting in the garden when he arrived with her gift.

Fifteen pounds of golden lab puppy on a pink satin leash. I shot him a look, and couldn’t help but smile at the expression on his face. You’d think he was the five-year-old and the puppy was his...

“I can’t believe you did this without asking me,” I said, in exasperation. “One child wasn’t enough, so you gave me another?”

“Consider me her proud papa… and at your disposal,” he answered against my ear. “I’m available at all hours, for leash patrol, puppy-sitting… stain removal.” He kissed my cheek and let his lips trail to my earlobe. It lasted less than a second and left my whole body aching for more.

“That’s incredibly sweet,” I said fast, as Mattie and Vi were heading over from the tomato plants. “But this… this could be overwhelming…

Violet’s shyer than other kids her age,” I said, protectively. But he was already ignoring me, kneeling down in the grass. Part of me noticed how calm and well-trained the puppy was. The rest of me was completely freaking out.

“Hello, Violet,” he said in a soft voice. “Your mama told me today is your birthday. This is for you.” He held out the pink leash, but she didn’t reach out to take it. I should have told him, I thought, as my stomach turned over. Why the fuck hadn’t I warned him?

“Her name is Mirielle, but I’ve been calling her Miri. But you can name her anything you want.” His voice was slow and steady. He put the leash in her little hand, and Mattie and I both let out a breath of relief. Violet had let him touch her hand, no matter how briefly. And she hadn’t pulled away…

“She likes to play on the beach, too,” he went on. “Would you like to take her for a walk? You can show her where you find your shells, and when she’s thirsty, we can give her a drink.”

He stood up and took my hand. Violet looked at the puppy who sat waiting patiently, and then up at us. When Violet put her hand on Miri’s head, I thought my knees were going to buckle.

“Shall we?” Will asked, with a grand, sweeping gesture toward the beach. And all the tension in my body burst out into laughter. He looked so sweet, so kind… so clueless. And I felt closer to him than I’d ever felt to anyone in my whole life.

“I told you it’d be fine,” he said, taking my hand and following behind my daughter and her new puppy. “I have a way with kids and animals…”