Finally, I got what he was on about. Even I wasn’t oblivious enough not to have heard of the craze. “No, I don’t have it, but I could get it for you,” I offered, already swiping to the app store to do a search.

“Yes! Get it! I want to find Bulbasaur,” Patrick enthused.

“Oh, no you don’t,” came a sweet yet strict voice. Eilish. I’d been hyper-aware of her watchful eyes, wishing she wouldn’t keep such a distance. As much as I loved spending time with Patrick, it would have been nice for her to be with us, too. Our family.

Yep. That’s right. I was in this thing, balls to walls. This was my family.

“Is he trying to sweet-talk you into letting him play Pokémon on your phone?” she inquired.

I glanced at Patrick. He was shaking his head fervently behind Eilish’s back. Oh man, this kid was hilarious. And a sneak. I couldn’t help laughing. “He might be.”

Patrick scrunched up his face and threw his hands in the air like I was the worst accomplice in the world. I laughed some more. I loved how much personality he had. I didn’t think kids really had much about them until they were at least ten, but I could have whole conversations with Patrick and not get bored. He was like a little person. Well, technically he was a little person, but you know what I mean.

“As soon as he spots a smartphone

he pounces,” said Eilish. “He got so addicted to the game I had to start rationing his play time, otherwise he’d happily spend the entire day running around looking for creatures.”

“I’ve found all the ones on our street,” said Patrick proudly. “James from next door has only found three.”

I glanced at Eilish. “I honestly don’t mind him using my phone . . .”

She shook her head. “We have to be getting home soon anyway. It’s almost dinner time.”

“Can Bryan come for dinner?” Patrick asked enthusiastically.

My eyes shot to Eilish, and it was clear Patrick’s request had taken her by surprise. Her eyebrows moved on her forehead as though trying to find equilibrium, and her mouth opened and closed. Even struggling for words this woman was gorgeous.

A tightness, an unexpected vise, constricted my chest, the suddenness of it made it difficult for me to speak, and an awkward silence fell between us.

Clearing my throat, I finally managed, “That’s okay, buddy. Maybe next time.”

“Well, if he doesn’t have other plans,” Eilish said at the same time, surprising me. I was certain she’d been about to come up with an excuse.

“I don’t,” I said, my tone a little too eager. I just didn’t want this day to end. It was bizarre, because my life seemed set in stone only a week ago, but now everything was changing. And I didn’t technically dislike the change.

“Oh. In that case, you’re welcome to join us,” she went on, her voice pitched high and breathy, clearly nervous. “Sean will be coming, too. His Lucy is away in New York, so he usually eats with us.”

“Did you make sure to slaughter a cow this morning?” I joked.

“She slaughtered two, actually,” came Sean’s voice as he joined us. “And you’re one to talk. I saw you put away three burritos after training last week, and you still had room for dessert.”

I grinned at Eilish. “I hope you have a fully stocked fridge.”

“I made pasta bake.” She lifted an eyebrow at me, the side of her lips tugging to one side. “It’s got four different cheeses, both sausage and chicken, and about a trillion calories per serving, so if you’re both still hungry at the end, I’ll eat my hat.”

Sean smiled widely, as did I. “Challenge accepted.”

***

Eilish lived in a small apartment just outside the city. It was in a two-story Victorian that had been split into two separate units. Eilish’s place took up the bottom floor. Though it wasn’t big, it was a sought-after location, so I wondered if her family was footing part of the bill. If they weren’t contributing monetarily, then they’d most certainly pulled some strings to get her the place.

Not that I was judging her. In fact, I wished I’d been footing the bill all these years instead of her hoity-toity parents. It made me feel pretty worthless, if I was honest, and I was already making mental plans to pay her back for all the years of child support I’d missed. I could afford it, and more.

In fact, if I had my way I’d give her every last penny in my bank account by way of penance. Because that is what I owed her. She had been raising Patrick on her own. And studied. And now worked full time. There wasn’t any way I could pay her back. She had sacrificed more than money. She’d sacrificed herself.

If I wasn’t careful, Eilish Cassidy would be elevated to sainthood level in my mind. I decided I should debauch her before this happened.

Having followed her and Sean in my Land Rover, I scoped out the neighborhood and begrudgingly accepted that it was a nice place to bring up a kid. I almost wished she’d been living in a crap hole. That way I could swoop in and save the day. But no, it seemed Eilish was doing okay for herself without me.

The reality of her circumstances gave me the sense of being dispensable, and I didn’t like it. A weird itching in my chest flared, one that had been present since she’d left me in the restaurant a week ago, this need for her to need me. I may have been entertaining fantasies for the last seven days where I was her knight in shining armor, but clearly she wasn’t a damsel in distress. She’d survived a teen pregnancy and the scandal that went along with it. She’d even managed to bring up this fantastic little boy all on her own.