26. Juno
26
Juno
The smell of fresh paint mingled with the scent of the cheeseburger delivery Alex had insisted on ordering after they'd spent three hours painting the walls of what used to be his tiny spare room. They’d had to move out his guitar and monitor, his desk and computer, but the room hadn’t been furnished otherwise, so it had been a no-brainer to give the space to Lena.
Juno sat cross-legged on the drop cloth they'd spread across the floor, watching as Alex held Lena up to place glow-in-the-dark stars on the newly painted lavender ceiling.
"Move that way a little," Lena directed, stretching her arm as far as it would go. "That's where the Big Dipper goes."
"You're the expert," Alex replied, adjusting his stance to accommodate her reach. He now only wore his walking boot on the job or when he had to be on his feet for long periods of time, but for around the house, he’d switched to a smaller gel brace. It gave him more mobility, but Juno noticed he how much he still favored that ankle.
"You should sit down," she called over to him. "I can take a turn."
Alex shook his head. "We're on a roll here, aren't we, Lena-bug? Besides, I'm the tallest."
"The tallest." Lena patted his head. "This one goes here." She pressed a star to the ceiling with great concentration, then looked down at Juno. "Do you think it'll look like real stars in the dark?"
"Even better," Juno replied, gathering empty takeout containers into a paper bag. "Because you'll know exactly where to find each constellation."
Lena beamed at her, and Juno felt that now-familiar tug of emotion in her chest. It had been just over two weeks since she'd discovered Alex had a daughter, and already she couldn't imagine her life without Lena in it.
Alex carefully lowered Lena to the ground. The girl immediately darted to the light switch. "Can we turn it off and see?"
"Let's give the stars a few more minutes to set," Juno suggested, knowing they needed longer light exposure if they were going to glow, especially since the room wouldn’t be very dark with the sun setting so late. "Why don't we take a break and figure out where your books will go?"
"I have a lot of books now," Lena said with undisguised delight. "Grandma took me to the bookstore, and Claire helped me pick out lots of Nancy Drew books and Hardy Boys books and Cherry Ames books and Trixie Bel… Bel—” She glanced over at the stacks of books on the floor against the wall and pointed at a pile four vintage hardcovers. “Trixie Belden!” she exclaimed. “And Daddy built my shelves all by himself."
“Don’t forget about the Scooby Doo books,” Alex said with an exaggerated frown. “Those are the most important books, which is why we should put them on the top shelf.”
“I think you want them on the top shelf so that you can reach them easier,” Juno teased.
“Haha,” Alex shot back. “I walked right into that one, didn’t I?”
"Well, the shelves are beautiful," Juno said, meaning it. The white floating shelves looked professionally done, arranged in a staggered pattern up one wall.
Alex lowered himself to the ground beside Juno and took her hand. She still marveled at how much his touch thrilled her, and she brought his hand up to rub his knuckles against her cheek. He gave her that crooked smile of his, and Juno couldn't help but lean in a little. Even she could see just how besotted he was becoming with her.
"Daddy, you're supposed to be helping me with my books, not making googly eyes at Juno," Lena called from where she was unpacking a box of hardcovers.
Alex laughed, the sound warming Juno from the inside out. "Busted," he murmured, but didn't move away. Instead, he leaned closer and kissed her tenderly on the lips.
"I saw that, too," Lena added with a snort.
"You see everything, don't you, squirt?" Alex released Juno's hand to crawl over to his daughter. "Let's get these books organized, then. How do you want them? By size? Color? Author?"
As they debated the merits of various organizational systems, Juno checked her phone. Three texts from her father, all sent while she'd been painting.
Running low on TP in the supply closet.
Need me to come in early to help unpack the coffee shipment tomorrow?
Found a leak under the sink in the men's bathroom. Fixed it with supplies from the maintenance closet. Hope that's OK.
Juno texted back a quick thanks, but told him not to come in early. She liked the routine of unpacking her coffee shipments, and she preferred to manage her stock personally. She added that she'd see him in the morning, then said goodnight, hoping he’d get the hint and not respond.
Leonard had been working at the coffee shop for nearly two weeks now, and despite her initial reservations, he'd proven himself surprisingly reliable. He showed up early, stayed late when needed, and had started taking initiative with minor repairs around the place. Customers liked him—especially the female tourists who frequented the shop mid-morning. He had a knack for making them giggle.
It was... unsettling, how easily he'd slipped into her life, but that didn’t mean she was ready to act like the past hadn’t happened. She didn’t want to be his only friend in town, and it niggled at her that he tried to engage with her almost every night after work. It felt almost cloying, making him seem needy, and she didn’t care for this side of him.
"Earth to Juno," Alex called, breaking into her thoughts.
She put her phone away, forcing a smile. "Sorry. Just checking in with the shop."
"Everything okay?" His eyes narrowed slightly, and she knew he was really asking about Leonard.
"Fine," she said, perhaps a touch too quickly. "Dad fixed a leak in the men's room before he went home this evening."
“I thought he was only working mornings,” Alex noted, his tone conversational, but he didn’t fool her. She saw the tension in his shoulders.
Alex had crossed paths with Leonard several times over the last two weeks, and while he'd been unfailingly polite, there was a guardedness to his interactions with her father that Juno couldn't ignore. She understood his concern—of course she did—but his persistent watchful regard was beginning to grate on her.
"He's always willing to work extra hours if I have stuff for him to do," she said, keeping her voice light. "He’s good with his hands. Always was, even when..."
She trailed off, not wanting to complete the thought in front of Lena, who was arranging books by color to create a rainbow effect on the bottom shelf.
Alex nodded, a muscle working in his jaw. "Well, that's good. Saved you calling a plumber."
The conversation stalled, that invisible barrier rising between them again. Lately, it seemed to happen whenever Leonard came up, which was increasingly often since he'd become a fixture at the coffee shop.
Lena, oblivious to the tension, piped up from her spot on the floor. "Can we check the stars now? Pretty please?"
Grateful for the interruption, Juno nodded. "I think they should be set. Want to do the honors?" She went to the window and drew the drapes, blocking out as much of the setting sunlight as possible, then gestured toward the light switch.
Lena's face was alight with anticipation. "Ready? Three, two, one..." She flipped the switch, plunging the room into shadows.
For a moment, there was silence. Then Lena gasped. "It's perfect! My very own sky!"
As Juno's eyes adjusted, she made out the soft, luminous glow of the stars scattered across the ceiling. Alex had moved to stand beside his daughter, his arm draped around her shoulders as they both gazed up.
"What do you think, Lena-bug?" His voice was soft with wonder.
"I think it's the best room in the whole wide world," Lena whispered back. “I wish Mommy could see it.”
Juno met Alex’s gaze and tried to give him a silent boost of encouragement.
“I’m sure she’ll come see it soon,” he told her, ruffling her hair.
Melissa had been understandably livid when she’d learned that her plans to take Lena out of the country had been stalled. She’d not only answered Alex’s calls after that, but for a few days, she’d called him incessantly, relentlessly begging him, threatening him, bargaining with him to work with her.
But Alex had stayed firm, partly because by ‘working with her,’ she’d meant letting her have her way, but also, as he’d expressed to Juno, the more time he spent with Lena, the more he realized how much they needed each other. “I know this sounds selfish, but I’m a much better man when I have someone else to think about other than myself.”
Juno had chuckled softly. “Aren’t we all?”
And so, two weeks had gone by, and Lena was still staying in Alex’s care, while Melissa, supposedly, was frantically rearranging her life and trying to find an attorney who would see things her way. Apparently, she hadn't taken Alex seriously when he'd said he was getting a lawyer, and now she was scrambling.
Over the last week, she’d started video chatting with Lena in the evenings, and sometimes Juno thought it might be a way for Melissa to monopolize Lena’s time, now that Alex was back at work fulltime, but Alex didn’t mind. He wanted peace between the three of them, and if that meant sharing Lena’s attention with Melissa, he was good with it. “She’s here with me, and that’s what counts,” he’d said when Juno had tentatively broached the subject.
Juno marveled at the person she was getting to know, the grown up Alex, a man with a purpose, with goals for his future.
Lena broke away from her father and turned to Juno. “I’m glad you’re here,” she said, and flung her arms around Juno's waist. The unexpected embrace nearly knocked her off balance, but she recovered quickly, wrapping her arms around the girl and breathing in the scent of paint and the strawberry shampoo they'd picked out together at the store.
Over Lena's head, Juno's eyes met Alex's in the dimness. Something passed between them in that moment—an acknowledgment of what they were building here, the three of them. Something like a family.
The thought should have terrified her. Instead, it filled her with warmth.
Later, after they'd tucked Lena into bed in Alex's room (she'd have to wait another night to sleep in her new room, once the paint smell had dissipated), Juno and Alex slipped outside to sit on his tiny balcony. The night air was warm, humming with the sounds of summer insects. Alex had poured them each a glass of lemonade, and Juno savored the tart sweetness on her tongue.
"How are you doing?” Juno asked softly, watching as Alex tilted his face up to catch the evening breeze.
"I’m okay,” he said, not looking at her. “It’s Lena I worry about. Though I think having my parents around has helped a lot." Lena spent the days with her grandmother while Alex was at work.
Juno smiled. "Roxanne is a natural grandmother. The way she looks at Lena..."
Alex nodded. “I know.” He reached over and took her hand. "Thank you for being part of this. I know it's been a lot, all at once."
"I wouldn't be anywhere else," she replied honestly.
Alex's thumb traced circles on her palm, sending tiny shivers up her arm. "And how are things at the shop? Really?"
Juno took a long sip of her lemonade before answering. "Good. Busy. I’ve got my dad coming in for a couple of hours in the afternoons now, and he’s actually been a big help with the afternoon rush. And the bussing and cleaning. Trevor says it's the cleanest the shop's ever been."
Alex nodded, his expression carefully neutral. "That's great."
"But?" she prompted, unable to keep the edge from her voice.
"No but," he said quickly. Too quickly.
"Alex." She started to pull her hand from his, but he held on, not letting her withdraw. "Just say what you're thinking."
He sighed, rubbing his other hand across his stubbled jaw. "I just want to make sure you're being careful, that's all. I’m glad things seem to be working out with Leonard. I really am."
"I am being careful," Juno countered. "People change, though, you know. He's been clean and sober for two years, now."
"According to him."
"Yes, according to him," she said, heat rising in her cheeks. She tugged her hand free of his and scooted to the edge of her chair, but she resisted the urge to get up and start pacing. "But also according to the way he carries himself, the steadiness of his hands, his clear eyes. I know what to look for, Alex. I grew up with an addict, remember? With that particular addict. People change, and you, of all people, should understand that. Why do you deserve a second chance, but he doesn’t?”
The moment the words left her mouth, she regretted them. Alex nodded in agreement, but his injured expression told her that her words had hit home. “I’m not Leonard,” he finally said. “And I’m asking for your friendship and affection, not for you to provide for my welfare.”
"I'm sorry," she said immediately. "That was unfair of me."
Alex touched her elbow, and said, "Don't be sorry. Be safe."
Juno's cheeks warmed at the familiar words. "I know. I just... I need you to trust my judgment on this. I'm not being naive."
"I do trust your judgment," Alex said. "It's him I don't trust.”
Juno leaned back in her chair, trying to quell the defensiveness rising in her chest. She knew Alex's concerns were valid. Even Claire had made a point twice now to ask gently if Juno was sure Leonard wasn't working some angle. Claire hadn’t met her father back in high school, but Juno had told her everything after returning to Autumn Lake, and Claire, too, was worried about Leonard’s motives for Juno’s sake.
"Has he asked you for money?" Claire had inquired, her expression wary. "Beyond his paycheck, I mean?"
"No," Juno had answered truthfully. "He hasn't asked for anything. I pay for his room at the Sleepy Time, but that was my idea." It wasn’t the whole truth, though. She’d planned to pay only for the first ten days until he got his first paycheck from her and could foot the bill himself, but he’d told her he’d needed to stock up on a few necessities, and hadn’t had enough to cover the room for another week.
Claire had looked unconvinced. "Just be careful, Juno. I know you want to believe he's changed, but..."
But what if he hasn't? The unspoken question lingered between her and Alex now, just as it had with Claire.
"Did you know," Juno said after a long pause, "that he's been attending AA meetings in Evansville? Three afternoons a week, after his shift.”
“Is he? Why not attend the one that meets right here in town?” The skepticism in Alex’s voice rubbed her the wrong way.
Juno had asked her father the same thing. "He said that group only meets once a week and he still feels like he needs to attend more often." At the time, it had made him sound honorable, acknowledging that he needed accountability like that.
“How’s he getting there and back?”
It was a fair question; she’d told Alex her father didn’t have a car. “He takes the bus,” she said, wondering why she hadn’t bothered checking the bus schedule to see if there actually were bus routes that ran at those times.
“Well, I’m glad he’s taking the initiative.” He still sounded doubtful, but she could tell he was trying to come to middle ground with her.
"You know, I'm trying to give him the benefit of the doubt, to not let the past dictate everything."
Alex reached for her hand again, and this time she let him take it. "I know you are. And I admire that about you, Juno. Your capacity for forgiveness is... it's extraordinary." His eyes searched hers. "I'm just afraid you'll get hurt."
And there it was—the truth beneath his concern. Not judgment, but protection. She felt the last of her irritation dissolve.
"I might," she admitted quietly. "But I'd rather risk that than miss the chance to have him in my life, if he really has changed. That may make me sound na?ve, but I have to at least give him a chance, right? Can you try to understand?"
Alex nodded, bringing her hand to his lips and pressing a gentle kiss to her fingers. "I do. And I'll try harder to... to not be such a skeptic."
"Thank you." She leaned toward him, closing the distance between them. When their lips met, she sighed softly, the tenderness of his mouth mingling with the relief of the tension easing between them.
She was learning the different ways he kissed her—playful pecks when Lena was watching, soft brushes of his lips when they parted, and this: deep and languid, as if they had all the time in the world. His hand came up to cup her face, his thumb tracing the line of her cheekbone.
When they finally broke apart, she rested her forehead against his. "I should go," she murmured. "I’m opening tomorrow."
"You always open,” he said with a resigned smile. “You know, you could train one of your staff to open so you could have a morning off," he suggested, his voice soft.
“But I don’t want a morning off,” she countered. “That's my quiet time. Just me and God getting ready to start the day.”
“Is God a coffee lover, too?” Alex teased, standing and pulling her to her feet, too.
“God made coffee, so, of course, he loves it.”
Later, as Juno drove home through the quiet streets of Autumn Lake, she found herself replaying the evening in her mind. The easy laughter, the way Lena had looked at them both with such open affection, the feel of Alex’s arm around her as they checked on the sleeping Lena one more time before Juno left.
It was everything she'd ever wanted, the life she'd dreamed of here in this town she loved. And now it seemed within reach—a business of her own; a man who looked at her like she was precious; a child who was quickly claiming a piece of her heart.
The only discordant note was the wariness in Alex's eyes whenever Leonard's name came up. The same wariness she'd seen in Claire's expression, in her other friends’ careful questions about how her father was adjusting.
She knew they were only concerned about her, that they cared about her, and like Alex, didn’t want her to get hurt. She understood and appreciated their concerns; she really did.
But she wanted to focus on the good for once, and there was so much good right now. She wanted to stop looking over her shoulder, to stop waiting for the other shoe to fall. She didn’t want to entertain the nagging questions that rose unbidden in the quiet moments.
Questions like why Leonard never talked about where he'd been all these years. Why he deflected whenever she asked about his plans for the future. Why sometimes she caught him staring at her with an expression she couldn't quite read.
As she climbed the stairs to her apartment, Juno admitted to herself that she was choosing to wear blinders. Deliberately looking the other way, not asking the hard questions, because she wasn't ready for the answers. Because she wanted, just for a while, to believe that everything could be this perfect.
She deserved this happiness, didn't she? After everything she'd been through?
Inside her apartment, Juno's phone buzzed with a text from Alex: Made it home safe?
She smiled, typing back: Just walked in. Thanks for the fun evening.
His response came immediately: Thanks for painting the stars in Lena’s sky. And for hanging the moon in mine.
Well, she hadn’t painted the stars, but she wasn’t going to argue semantics. Alex was being romantic, and she was going to let herself bask in it. She smiled, feeling that bloom of love swell inside her. See you tomorrow?
Count on it. Good night, June-bug.
The old nickname, once a source of pain, now felt like a gift. She touched the screen lightly, as if she could reach him through it.
For now, she would hold onto this joy. The questions could wait.
Even if, deep down, she knew they shouldn't.