Chapter 38
DAREK
Iwoke up slowly, gradually becoming aware of warmth beside me, soft breathing, the faint scent of Liza’s shampoo on my pillow.
For a moment, I just lay there with my eyes closed, afraid that if I opened them, I would discover it was all a dream.
It wouldn’t be the first time. The same dream had happened before, and the second realization dawned, it had turned into a nightmare.
But then she shifted slightly, her arm tightening around my waist, and I knew it was real.
Liza was back. In my bed, in my arms, in my life.
I opened my eyes to find her already awake, watching me with a soft smile.
“Morning,” she said quietly.
“Morning.” I pulled her closer, needing the reassurance of her physical presence. “You’re really here.”
“I’m really here.”
“And you’re staying?”
“I’m staying. We talked about this last night, remember? Multiple times.”
We had. After dinner at the seafood place, we had come back to the estate. Daisie had been so excited to have Liza home that it took an extra hour to get her to bed. And then Liza and I had stayed up talking until nearly two in the morning, hashing out everything that had happened.
It was a little sad to admit, but I could honestly say it was my first adult relationship conversation.
I never had that with Sasha. I suspected some part of me knew early on that we weren’t going to make it forever.
And I just couldn’t fully invest my heart and soul into the relationship.
Maybe if I would have asked her what she needed, we could have saved things.
No. No. There was nothing to save. I didn’t love Sasha the way I loved Liza. It felt more adult. Like my heart had fully developed and I was capable of the love I heard so many people talk about. It made me think of Pinocchio. I was a real man, now.
The conversation had been raw and honest and sometimes painful. But we’d gotten through it together. It felt good to just put it all out there. I knew it was a risk and I knew she had every capability to break my heart.
But I had to trust her.
Liza had fallen asleep in my bed, wearing one of my t-shirts and a pair of her sleep shorts. I held her and felt more at peace than I had in probably my entire life.
The past week had been hard on her too. I would always feel guilty for that. I should have been a better man. But it was a learning lesson. I believed in learning from my mistakes.
“How did you sleep?” I asked.
“Better than I have in days. Your bed is much more comfortable than that futon.”
“I still can’t believe you were living in that shack.”
“It wasn’t that bad. Katie was nice, and it was on the beach.”
“It was terrible. You were living in a glorified shed because I was too stupid to trust you.” I kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry.”
“You already apologized. Multiple times. We’re working through it, remember?”
“I know. But I’m going to keep apologizing until I feel like I’ve made up for it.”
She smiled and snuggled closer. “Well, you can start by telling me what I missed this past week.”
We lay there for a while, just being together, and I realized this was what I had been missing.
Not just Liza, but the quiet intimacy of waking up next to someone you loved.
It was all about the lazy morning conversations and the feeling of being completely comfortable with another person.
Companionship. I didn’t even know I was missing it until Liza came into my life.
“Catch me up. What happened with Grant and the photo? Did you get him?”
“We got the original security footage. Sasha’s lawyer came through.
They recovered it from the yacht club’s hard drives.
It shows exactly what I told you. I had a hold of Daisie the entire time, the water wasn’t choppy, and she was never in danger.
Grant doctored the photo, changed the background to make it look worse than it was. ”
“That bastard.”
“Yeah. Aaron already filed a civil suit against him. We’re going after him for millions—fraud, defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress. Aaron thinks we’ll win easily, given that Grant literally admitted to altering the photo in open court.”
“Good. He deserves it.”
“The state is also pursuing criminal charges. Perjury, evidence tampering. By the time it’s all done, Grant will be finished. Bankrupt, probably facing jail time. The little snake can slither back under whatever rock he slid out from under.”
“And Sasha?” Liza asked carefully. “How’s she handling all of this?”
“Actually, she’s been… different. Better.” I shifted slightly so I could see her face. “She’s been helping with the evidence recovery. She called me a few days ago to talk about Daisie.”
I felt Liza tense slightly. “What about Daisie?”
“She’s not fighting for custody anymore.
Realizes it would be too disruptive. She understands she’s basically a stranger to Daisie right now.
But she wants to try to build a relationship again.
Slowly. Baby steps. Supervised visits, just an hour or two at a time, whatever Daisie is comfortable with. ”
“And what do you think about that?”
“I think it might be good for Daisie. She deserves to have the option of knowing her mother, if she wants it. Sasha seems genuinely committed to doing better this time. She’s in therapy, working through her issues.
And she broke up with Grant immediately when she found out what he’d done.
I don’t know that the true mother-daughter relationship will ever be fully healed, but I think it’s better for Daisie if there is something. ”
“And you believe Sasha didn’t know about the photo?”
“No. She really didn’t. I believe that now.
” I ran my hand along Liza’s arm, sliding over her smooth skin.
“But I want to be clear about something. This is just about Daisie getting to know her mother. That’s it.
Sasha and I? We’re done. Permanently. She doesn’t want me back and I would never take her back even if she did. ”
“I wasn’t worried about that,” Liza said, but I could hear the relief in her voice.
“Good. Because you’re it for me. You’re the one I want. The one I love. The one I plan to spend the rest of my life with, if you’ll have me.”
“That sounds suspiciously like you’re planning something.”
“Not yet. But eventually.” I kissed her softly. “I’m not letting you get away again.”
“Good. Because I’m not going anywhere.”
We were quiet for a moment, and then I remembered something else I had been planning. More like hoping for.
“I’ve been thinking,” I said. “Your guest room. I’m going to turn it into an office for you. A proper workspace where you can finish your dissertation without being bothered. Bookshelves, a good desk, whatever equipment you need for your research.”
“Darek, you don’t have to do that.”
“I want to. You taught me how important whale science can be. You literally saved my custody case with your knowledge of migration patterns. The least I can do is give you a proper space to work.”
“That’s really sweet.” She kissed my jaw. “Thank you.”
I laughed softly.
“What?” she asked.
“You just agreed to move in.”
“I did?”
“I told you I was turning your room into an office and you didn’t think twice.”
She laughed. “I guess I did. I mean, I don’t want to intrude.”
“Liza, I told you last night, I’m not letting you go. I want you here. What do you have back in New York? You belong here.”
“I do love it here.”
“Exactly. We’ll make arrangements to get the rest of your things. My house is your house. We are officially cohabitating.”
“That sounds so official.”
Before I could respond, we heard the sound of small feet running down the hallway. I had just enough time to make sure we were both decent before the door burst open.
Daisie launched herself onto the bed with a flying leap, landing between us and bouncing enthusiastically.
“You’re still here!” she announced to Liza, as if she’d been worried Liza might disappear during the night. “I thought maybe I dreamed it but you’re really here!”
“I’m really here,” Liza confirmed, laughing as Daisie bounced some more.
“No more jumping on the bed,” I said half-heartedly, knowing it was a losing battle.
“But I’m excited! Liza’s home and it’s Saturday and you said we could all go out on the boat today!” Daisie bounced one more time for emphasis.
“Did I say that?”
“Yes! Last night! You said if Liza came home, we could all go out and look for whales!” She turned to Liza. “Can we? Please? I want to show you the new whale sounds I learned. I’ve been practicing.”
“You’ve been practicing whale sounds?” Liza asked.
“Uh-huh! Listen!” Daisie proceeded to make a series of low, moaning sounds that were actually not terrible approximations of whale calls.
“That’s really good!” Liza said. “You’ve been studying.”
“I want to be a whale scientist like you when I grow up. Or maybe a boat builder like Daddy. Or maybe both. Can you be both?”
“You can be anything you want,” I told her.
Daisie flopped down between us, her head on my chest and her feet kicking Liza gently. “This is the best morning ever. We’re all together again.”
I looked over Daisie’s head at Liza, saw the emotion in her eyes, and felt a sense of peace wash over me. Like the softest blanket. This was right. This was how things were supposed to be.
We were a family.
“Can we have pancakes for breakfast?” Daisie asked. “With chocolate chips? Since it’s a special day?”
“It’s not a holiday,” I pointed out.
“But Liza came home! That’s special enough!”
“She’s got a point,” Liza said. “Liza coming home definitely deserves chocolate chip pancakes.”
“Fine. Chocolate chip pancakes it is.”
Daisie cheered and scrambled off the bed. “I’ll go get the chocolate chips!”
“Just the chocolate chips,” I called after her. “I’ll get the rest!”
She ran out, leaving Liza and me alone again.
“Chocolate chip pancakes, huh?” Liza said.
“Welcome to being part of this family. Daisie has strong opinions about breakfast.”
“I can handle that.” She sat up, stretching. “I’ll help you with breakfast.”
“Or,” I said, pulling her back down. “We could stay here for five more minutes. Daisie’s getting the chocolate chips, which will take her at least that long given that she can’t reach the pantry shelf without climbing.”
Liza laughed and settled back against me. “Five more minutes.”
I snuggled against her.
“I missed this,” Liza said quietly. “This chaos. This family. You.”
“I missed you too. More than I thought possible.” I kissed the top of her head. “From now on, we talk things through. Even when it’s hard. Even when I’m scared.”
“Deal.”
We went downstairs together in our pajamas. Daisie was half on the counter surrounded by scattered chocolate chips, looking guilty and hopeful at the same time.
“I was trying to help,” she said.
“I can see that,” I said, surveying the chocolate chip explosion. “How about you help by cleaning these up while Liza and I make the pancakes?”
“Okay! But can I put extra chocolate chips in mine? Since I already got them out?”
“Nice try. Normal amount of chocolate chips.”
We worked together making a breakfast that was definitely too sugary to start the day.
This was what I’d wanted when I married Sasha. This was what I thought I had lost forever.
But I hadn’t lost it. I never had it until now.
“Daddy?” Daisie asked as we sat down to eat our chocolate chip pancake breakfast. “Is Liza staying forever now?”
I looked at Liza, saw her smile, and felt my heart skip a beat.
“If she wants to,” I said.
“I want to,” Liza confirmed.
Daisie grinned, chocolate smeared on the corner of her mouth. “Good. Because you’re part of our family now. And families stick together.”
“Yes, they do,” I agreed.