Chapter 22
PARENTING IN PROGRESS
WILL
I’m used to being the guy who has it all figured out. I close deals, solve problems, and move on. But with Natalie? Nothing about her fits into neat little boxes.
She wasn’t supposed to leave last night.
I’d pictured us having dinner, talking, maybe falling asleep with her head on my chest. Instead, she walked out the door with barely a goodbye.
And now, I was the idiot standing here, watching her leave work flustered by everything and wondering if I’d already screwed this up.
Blake’s unexpected arrival was my fault, no question. I should have handled it. I should have ended things weeks ago. But Natalie’s reaction was something else, like she’d been waiting for an excuse to pull away.
Madison’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
“Dad, are we eating or what?”
I looked up from the grill. Madison stood at the open doorway to the living room, arms crossed, her expression a perfect mix of exasperation and teenage indifference. Behind her, Chase and Carter were watching Monday Night Football, while Ivy had her crayons spread across the kitchen table.
“Five minutes,” I said, flipping the burgers.
“Sure,” she muttered, turning back into the house.
Dinner with all four kids was precious to me. Between Madison’s packed schedule, the boys’ sports, and Ivy’s earlier bedtime routine, getting everyone together felt like a small miracle. Tonight, it was my first night of the week with them, and I loved having them home with me.
Dinner went as usual. Chase and Carter were cracking fart jokes, which sent Ivy into hysterical laughter. Madison sat quietly, picking at her salad with a look that screamed I’d rather be anywhere but here.
Once the chaos subsided, I sent the boys to finish homework and Ivy to get ready for bed. That left Madison and me alone at the table, the silence between us louder than the earlier noise.
“You’ve been weird all night,” Madison said finally, breaking the quiet. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing’s going on, Sweetheart.” I said, trying to sound casual.
She rolled her eyes. “Right. Because you’re so good at hiding things.”
I leaned back in my chair, studying her. Madison had Kelly’s sharp eyes, the kind that could cut through any excuse. She’d always been able to read me better than the rest of the kids, and right now, she wasn’t buying my attempt at deflection.
“It’s complicated,” I admitted.
“Is it about that child you’re dating?” she snarled.
“Madison, she’s twenty-nine,” I said, keeping my tone calm.
“Almost half your age,” she shot back.
“I’m not even forty-four yet,” I reminded her, though it felt weak.
“Still, it’s gross. And Mom says she tries too hard.”
Kelly wasn’t wrong. Blake did try too hard, in ways that eventually turned me off. But that didn’t excuse what I’d done, or why it had been so easy to let things with Blake fizzle out.
“Madison, this is grown-up stuff.”
She leaned forward, her eyes sharp. “I think you’re forgetting how this kind of thing affects everyone else. It’s not just your life, Dad. You don’t get to drag us into something you’re not even sure about.”
I sighed. “You don’t have to worry. It ended.”
“Oh,” she said, leaning back. “I think that’s for the best.”
She has a point.
Before I could respond, she pushed her chair back and stood. “I have homework,” she said, turning toward the stairs.
“Madison.”
She paused but didn’t look back.
“I love you,” I said quietly.
“You too, dad.”
Later, I cleaned up the kitchen, wiping down the counters and loading the dishwasher. It wasn’t much, but it gave me a moment to think without interruptions. Once the kitchen was done, I headed upstairs to check on the kids.
Ivy was tucked into bed with a book in her hands, waiting for me to read with her. I smiled as I sat down beside her.
“Daddy,” she said after we finished the story.
“Yes, Ivy?”
“Can we have Bebe over this weekend?”
“We could maybe arrange that,” I said carefully.
Her smile widened as she snuggled under the covers. “Promise?”
“I’ll try,” I said, kissing her forehead. “Goodnight, Ivy.”
“Goodnight, Daddy.”
I left her room and made my way to the boys.
Chase was at his computer, deep into a game. I gave him a quick warning. “Are you done with your homework?”
“Yes, Dad.”
“Lights out by ten.”
“Okay, Dad,” he said, barely looking up.
Carter was next, sitting cross-legged on his bed, engrossed in a Nintendo game. I leaned against the doorframe. “Did you finish your homework?”
“Yep. Barely had any tonight.”
“This goes off in thirty, okay?”
“Got it,” he replied, his fingers still flying across the buttons.
Madison’s door was cracked open, and I peeked inside. She was sitting at her desk, headphones on, focused on what looked like homework.
“Hey, Maddie,” I said, tapping lightly on the doorframe.
She sighed and pulled her headphones down. “Yes, Dad?”
“Just wanted to say goodnight. Don’t stay up too late.”
“Okay,” she said, her tone clipped.
I hesitated for a second, hoping she might say something more. When she didn’t, I nodded and quietly closed her door.
Back downstairs, I sat in the living room, the house silent except for the light sound of the dishwasher. My phone sat on the coffee table in front of me, and I stared at it like it held the answer to everything.
Part of me wanted to call Natalie, to tell her everything, about Madison, about how I felt, about how badly I wanted this to work. I wanted to ask if she was okay, if she’d made it through the day without feeling as overwhelmed as she had earlier. But I couldn’t. Not yet.
Instead, I picked up the phone and typed out a message.
Will: Can we talk?
My finger hovered over the send button for a long moment. Then, with a sigh, I hit delete.
Some things couldn’t be fixed with a text message.