21. Summer
21
SUMMER
T he park was alive with the laughter of children, the rhythmic squeak of swings, and the distant hum of a lawnmower in the nearby field. I sat on a wooden bench under the shade of an old oak tree, my eyes fixed on Ava as she climbed up the jungle gym, Bunny securely tucked under her arm.
“She’s fearless,” Enzo said, sitting down beside me.
“She’s always been that way,” I replied, a small smile tugging at my lips.
He chuckled softly. “She gets that from you.”
The compliment made my chest tighten, and I quickly looked away, focusing on Ava as she slid down the slide with a triumphant laugh.
“She’s amazing,” Enzo said after a moment, his voice quieter now. “But we can’t keep avoiding this conversation, Summer.”
I exhaled slowly, gripping the edge of the bench. “I know.”
Ava spotted us and waved excitedly from the swings. “Mommy! Enzo! Watch me!”
“We’re watching!” Enzo called, his smile widening as she pumped her legs to go higher.
As she swung back and forth, her curls bouncing with each motion, I let out a shaky breath. “How do we even begin to tell her something like this?”
Enzo’s smile faded, and he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Carefully. Gently. She’s smart, Summer. She’ll understand more than we think.”
“But what if she doesn’t?” I asked, my voice trembling. “What if she feels betrayed? What if she hates me for not telling her sooner?”
He turned to me, his gaze steady. “She won’t hate you.”
“You don’t know that,” I said, looking down at my hands.
“I do,” he said firmly. “She loves you. You’ve been everything to her, Summer. That doesn’t just go away.”
His words softened something in me, but the knot of guilt in my chest didn’t loosen.
“She’s going to have questions,” I said after a moment. “Hard questions. And I don’t know if I have the right answers.”
“We’ll figure it out,” Enzo said.
I glanced at him, my throat tightening. “You keep saying ‘we.’”
“Because we’re in this together,” he said simply. “Whether you like it or not.”
I let out a soft, bitter laugh. “You’re awfully confident.”
“I’m confident in us,” he said, his tone gentle but resolute.
The sincerity in his voice caught me off guard, and I looked away, blinking back tears. “I’m sorry, Enzo,” I whispered. “For keeping her from you. For making this harder than it had to be.”
He sat back, his gaze fixed on the playground. “I’m not going to lie—it hurts. Knowing I missed so much. But I understand why you did it.”
I turned to him, startled. “You do?”
He nodded slowly. “I was young, overwhelmed, and buried in medical school. I probably wouldn’t have handled it well back then. But things are different now. And what matters now is Ava.”
His forgiveness, or at least his willingness to understand, was more than I deserved. I swallowed hard, my voice barely above a whisper. “Thank you.”
Ava jumped off the swing, running toward us with Bunny trailing behind her. “Mommy! Enzo! Can we go to the pond?”
“Sure, sweetheart,” I said, standing and brushing off my jeans.
Enzo stood too, his hand brushing lightly against mine as we started walking. The pond was just a short distance away, its surface glimmering under the afternoon sun. Ducks paddled lazily near the edge, and Ava crouched down to watch them, her laughter ringing out as they quacked back at her.
“She’s happy,” I said softly.
“She is,” Enzo agreed. “And she deserves to stay that way.”
We found another bench near the pond, keeping an eye on Ava as she tossed bits of grass into the water.
“So,” Enzo said, leaning back. “What’s the plan?”
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “I don’t know. Maybe we start small? Drop hints?”
He nodded thoughtfully. “We could spend more time together, like this. Let her get used to the idea of us being… I don’t know, a family.”
The word “family” hung between us, heavy but not unwelcome.
“You think she’d accept it?” I asked hesitantly.
“She already does, in a way,” he said, smiling faintly. “She loves having me around. And I love being around her.”
The warmth in his voice made my chest ache. “You’re good with her,” I said quietly.
He glanced at me, his expression soft. “She makes it easy.”
We sat in silence for a while, watching Ava as she hopped along the edge of the pond, her curls catching the sunlight.
“She deserves the truth,” I said finally.
“She does,” Enzo agreed. “But we need to be careful. We can’t overwhelm her all at once.”
I nodded, my resolve hardening. “We’ll do it together. When the time feels right.”
Enzo reached over, his hand resting briefly on mine. “We’ve got this, Summer.”
His touch was warm, reassuring, and for the first time in a long time, I felt like maybe we could figure this out.
As the sun dipped lower in the sky, Ava ran back to us, her cheeks flushed and her eyes bright.
“Can we get ice cream now?” she asked, bouncing on her toes.
“Only if you promise to share with Bunny,” Enzo said, crouching down to her level.
“I promise!” she said, giggling.
We walked back to the car together, Ava skipping between us, holding both of our hands.