Admittedly, Krys had been nervous all day, thinking about how this would go. She’d imagined a hundred different scenarios, with a multitude of different reactions from Jordan, and while many of them were quite outlandish, some of them were very real possibilities and made her halfway consider not going through with this.

But if her daughter was brave enough to have a conversation about it with her father, Krys couldn’t give up and walk away.

She’d arranged for Amy to spend a couple of hours alone with Jordan this afternoon, and her daughter had been determined to say her piece about having Dex around. With that preceding what Krys intended to say, the door should be wide open for a conversation that didn’t get too heated.

She knocked on the door, knowing for a fact that Kylie wasn’t there; she was out with Reesa, picking out a wedding dress. So, there was no surprise when Jordan answered the door, his jaw set in a hard line. She couldn’t read his expression, his eyes giving nothing away, and he stepped back to let her in. “I’ll get Amy,” he muttered.

“Not yet,” she told him, earning a raised brow and a frown. “I want to talk to you first.”

He rolled his eyes. “I don’t want to talk anymore, Krys. I’ve got nothing to say right now.”

“That’s fine. I want to do the talking. You can just listen.” He crossed his arms, and she saw a hint of emotion. So, Amy had spoken to him, and he was hurting. He waited, and Krys squared her shoulders, reminding herself that this was the only option she had to make things right. “I’ve decided to consider that I might be making rash decisions. You don’t like Dex, I get it. Well, I don’t like Kylie, and I don’t want my daughter around her anymore.”

“Yeah, whatever, Krys,” he scoffed. “You’re full of shit.”

“No, I’m serious, Jordan, and if you want to continue to see your daughter, you’ll pay attention.” This was exactly what she expected. “I feel like she’s starting to try to take my place as a mother, and that’s not fair, considering how much work I’ve put into raising Amy. I can’t have her encroaching on my territory. I know you care about her, so I’ll give you the choice. Who’s more important, Amy or Kylie?”

“You’re fucking kidding me, right?” He glared at her, and she saw the panic starting to set in. “That’s the craziest thing you’ve ever said to me. You know Kylie. She would never do anything to hurt you or Amy, especially not stepping in to take your place. What is this really about?”

“It’s about trying to make you choose between the two most important people in your life, Jordan.” She saw him open his mouth to protest but pushed forward, not letting him interrupt. “You can’t tell me that this is different, either. You had a whirlwind relationship with Kylie, even if you led her on to think otherwise. You were in love with her almost the moment you met. And I feel very much the same about Dex.

“Now, you claim he’s this horrible man who uses women and casts them aside. But your teammate actually proposed to me, just to prove to you that he was committed. On top of that, he was walking out the door by my request because he cares about me, when your daughter started crying and begged him to stay. Tell me, does that sound like the guy you paint Dex to be?”

“It’s all for show, Krys—”

“It’s not!” she stopped him. “If that’s the case, then this huge wedding of yours is all for show. Now, when you called me to tell me about Kylie, I knew how much you’d sacrificed for Amy, and I didn’t know anything about this woman. But I encouraged you to do the right thing and move on. I even came here to set things straight for the two of you when you screwed it up by lying to her about me. Don’t argue, omitting our marriage and our daughter was a lie,” she told him before he could interject.

“This is different,” he hissed through his teeth.

“You keep saying that, but it’s really not. Actually, the situation is less terrifying. We’re all here together, so we all know each other. And you’ve known Dex for a while. I had never met Kylie before I came to beg her to understand and take you back. I wanted you to be happy, even if she was an ugly, bitchy, horrid woman. After all the sacrifices I’ve made, don’t I deserve happiness? And shouldn’t you support me the way I supported you, blindly, if necessary?”

He obviously didn’t like the comparison, but he said nothing, turning away to stare off at nothing in particular. When he finally spoke, he was quiet and a bit hoarse. “Amy told me today that she likes Dex. She said he’s nice and that he loves you and makes you happy.” He took a deep breath and scrubbed a hand down his face. “She said it makes her happy to see you like that, for the two of you to be together.”

“She told me that, too. And Dex. Like I said, she begged him not to leave.”

Sighing heavily, Jordan dropped onto the couch, resting his elbows on his knees and hanging his head. “I’ve been pigheaded, haven’t I? I judged Dex the way people judged me, and I have no right to do that. Part of me is jealous. I thought you didn’t want to find someone, and I had this grand idea that no other man would ever be involved in Amy’s life. At least, not until she was grown and ready to get married.”

“You said Kylie would never try to take my place, and I know that. I actually welcome her into my daughter’s life because she adores Amy. They have fun together, the way a girl and her stepmother should.” Krys had never harbored any ill feelings about Amy’s blossoming relationship with Kylie. “Dex wouldn’t try to muscle into your place, either. He cares about Amy. He bought her a special gift he thought she would like. We do things together. He wants to take her to the zoo this weekend. He worries when she’s extra tired and asks if we should make a doctor’s appointment, in case the cancer has come back. And that’s just in a couple of weeks, Jordan. Think how great he’ll be in her life as someone extra to lean on. You know, a lot of children only have one adult responsible for them, and while you’ve always been here for Amy, she’s mostly only had me because of us living so far apart. Now, she can have four adults looking after her. And who knows what the future holds? What if Dex and I had a family? She could have a brother or sister or both. This isn’t bad for her. It’s good for her, and we’ve all been so concerned about how it makes us feel we didn’t think about her.”

"We did," Jordan corrected, "but we made decisions for her, imagined thoughts in her head. At least, I have. And I was wrong to do that. Amy's strong-willed and smart as hell. She doesn't need us telling her what to think."

“I agree.” A sense of relief washed over her, and Krys walked over to sit next to Jordan. “I’m in love with Dex, and he loves me, Jordan. I don’t need your blessing on this, but I’d like it, if you’re willing.”

“I know that,” he told her. “And if he truly makes you happy, then I can accept that and wish you all the best.”

“He does make me happy.” Inhaling deeply, she bumped his shoulder. “I appreciate that. I know it’s not easy for you.”

“I’m not going to let my pride and jealousy get in the way of your happiness. That wouldn’t be right. You were willing to take big risks to assure mine.” He turned to look at her and smiled sadly. “I’m sorry, Krys. Really.”

“Thank you.” She smiled back. “So, are we good?”

“We’re always good, even in the worst of times.” He laughed softly and shook his head. “The way you framed all of this, comparing the situations. That was genius and all kinds of unfair.”

“All’s fair in love and war, Jordan. You know that.” She laughed with him, and Amy came bounding into the room.

“Is it okay? Dex can stay? You aren’t mad at each other anymore?” she asked in rapid succession, excitement lighting up her features.

“We’re not mad anymore,” Krys assured her.

“And Dex can stay,” Jordan added. “In fact, if you want, we can plan our trip to Disneyworld so Dex and your mother can come, too.”

“Really?” Amy squealed, throwing her arms around Jordan’s neck. “That’s wonderful! Yes, yes, yes!” She turned to Krys. “Please say you can come. Please!”

Krys suddenly felt like Cinderella, who’d bend slaving away all her life and dreaming of something more, only to finally meet Prince Charming. In her version, though, her wicked stepmother approved and gave her blessing. “I’ll speak to Dex, and we’ll all coordinate.” Amy started squealing and bouncing again, and they had a good laugh. “That’s enough,” Krys told her. “Get your things. I’m hungry, and I want to go home and have dinner.” Hopefully, Dex would come over, and they could celebrate.

“Let’s plan to get together for a drink this week, okay?” Jordan offered. “I’ll give Dex another chance and see if I can’t get to know him properly.”

“That sounds great,” Krys told him appreciatively. With a smile on her face and a song in her heart, she took Amy home, suddenly looking forward to the life she was creating for herself.