“Do you miss Dad?” I ask, knowing the answer but still wanting her to admit it out loud.
“What?”
“Dad, our biological dad, do you miss him?”
“I never really think about him, to be honest,” she says, and I close my eyes.
“Don’t you see, Cece, that you can’t miss something you never had? Either Mike wants to be a part of his girls’ lives, or he doesn’t. Either he wants to make them a priority, or he doesn’t. Sharing DNA with a child doesn’t make you a parent. The bond built over time expressed through devotion and love does. I know you want what’s best for Ruby, Kate, and Lola, but wanting him to step up and be the father he should be isn’t going to make it happen.” I step toward her shadow when I see her shoulders slump forward in defeat. “I know you want what’s best for your babies, but letting Mike continue on like he has been isn’t giving them what they need. The girls need time with their dad, and you need to demand that he gives them that.”
“I’m going to talk to my lawyer about how he thinks I should bring things up to Mike.”
“Do you know how ridiculous that sounds? Mike got an apartment without talking to you, introduced his girlfriend to the girls without talking to you, and now you’re going to talk to your lawyer about how you should talk to the father of your kids about something that affects you all?” I’m unable to hide my disgust. “Honest to God, you and Mike need to learn how to communicate with each other, because the girls are getting older, and there’s going to be things that come up with them that will require the two of you to be on the same page without using someone as a go-between.”
“You think I don’t know that?” she asks, sounding angry.
“I’m not saying you don’t know it, Cece. I’m asking what you’re going to do to change the way things are right now, because Mike isn’t going to be the one to address the issues, since he doesn’t have any issues to address. For him, everything is perfect. He’s living life like he always did, while everything for you has changed completely.”
“I wish things were as easy as you’re making them seem they are.”
“And I wish you’d understand that you’re making this harder than it needs to be. The conversation you need to have with him doesn’t have to be ugly or confrontational. It just has to be honest. Mike might not know what he’s doing is hurting the girls and making things more difficult for you, because you’ve never said anything to him. He might not think it’s a big deal that he only sees the girls one day a week, because he talks to them every night and is available if they call. You won’t know how he will react until you talk to him, and after that, if he doesn’t say he’s willing to work on things, then you talk to your lawyer. But I have a feeling you might be surprised by his reaction. Both of you love the girls, and both of you want what’s best for them. The two of you just need to learn how to talk to each other about stuff before it boils over.”
“I’ll talk to him,” she agrees quietly. “I’ll see if he can meet me tomorrow evening when he gets off work.”
“I think that would be good,” I say, relief evident in my voice.
“Are we okay?”
“Almost.” I let out a breath. “I’m sorry for bringing things up in front of Talon’s family. It was rude, and I should have had better control,” I say, not sure when I will be ready to face Talon’s mom or the rest of his family after my outburst and behavior.
“It’s fine, and they all agreed with you and wanted to go after you to make sure you were okay, but we knew you would be with Talon and he’d take care of you.”
“They had my back?”
“Oh yeah… well, I mean, Sophie and November gathered around me to make sure I was okay, even though I could tell they didn’t agree with me at all, but April, Nalia, and Willow were just as outraged as you were and nicely let me have it.” I listen to her take a deep breath. “I know it’s not my place, but I have to tell you that you better not mess up what you and Talon have, because I promise you will regret it. It’s not just that he’s such a good guy, and there aren’t very many out there anymore; it’s also that he has the family he does.”
“I’m not going to mess up what he and I have, and I know exactly how lucky I am that he decided to pursue me.” I smile. “I’m just glad he was as determined as he was.”