Page 59 of York

Dammit. I didn’t need that little heart tug I got each time he stepped up and showed how good of a father he was—and would likely continue to be.

“Would you hate me if I come to make sure you installed it correctly?”

“I watched ten videos and still don’t know if it’s right.”

“You think these are bad,” I said, walking over to slip into some flip-flops, “you should see the pumpkin seat installation. I went to the firehouse and asked them to install it for me.”

We made our way down to the parking lot, where I found the most basic gray crossover known to mankind.

At my raised brows, he shrugged. “When I did my research, this is the safest car on the road. Zero d-e-a-t-h-s. I like that statistic.”

“Me too,” I agreed as I went around to check the installation of the seat, tugging the strap just a tiny bit tighter, then declaring it was good to go.

“You could come,” York offered.

“I think it’s important for you guys to have alone time. She’s counting on Eddie cooking dinner, by the way.”

“When he heard we were going to be over later, he started cooking. Apparently, Denny told him she likes lasagna. He’s got those prepped already. Plus about four other main dishes.”

“I hope you stocked up on sauces.”

“Dunno if I ever paid such close attention to the sauce aisle before. Got the goods. Plus some new ones to try.”

“You’re all set then,” I said as Denny climbed into her seat and fastened her own belt. “Oh, wait. No. Let me get you her CD case.”

“CD case? We in the nineties?”

“She is going to insist on her soundtrack music.”

“I got a phone and a premium subscription. We’re set.”

“Oh, okay. Good then.”

“Stop by for dinner later, if you’ve got nothing going on.”

“I’ll think about it,” I said before going to give my daughter a kiss, then watching her pull away with her father, waving at me out the window until they disappeared.

With that, I busied myself with cleaning the apartment before heading out to my job. To earn money I wouldn’t really need to spend on anything because York apparently also thought ahead enough to have groceries delivered to our door.

I had more money stashed away than I had in years. It was a really good feeling. Safe. Even if I was trying to trust that York had the situation handled, that I wouldn’t need the emergency money again.

I spent my afternoon at a local nature center and park, walking the trails that Denny never would have been able to do with me, feeling old parts of myself slipping back into place. Muscles that had been tensed for years loosened. Stress that had been riding my shoulders for years eased.

I felt light and easy as I made my way to my car, smiling at a picture York sent of Denny’s ice-cream-covered face and fake tattoos. And his own arm where she had colored in his tattoos.

There was this sensation of rightness in my chest at it all.

It stuck with me through the cleaning job of a rental house that was already pretty spotless, so I threw in a deep clean of both fridges to make the time I was meant to spend there.

I drove to the owner, collected my cash, then made my way back to the apartment, deciding that I was going to take a shower and then go and join Denny and York for dinner.

Lasagna was a pain in the ass to make. Why not enjoy someone else’s labor of it if it was being offered?

Yep.

That was all it was about.

Not because I missed my kid.