That seemed to terrify her more than anything.
Her biological father had disappeared years earlier, leaving me to explain why one man who was supposed to love her had decided not to stay.
That seemed to terrify her more than anything.
Henry came into our lives later. He never tried to replace anyone; he just kept showing up, and not once did he treat Marissa like a stepdaughter.
Eventually, Marissa stopped waiting for him to disappear, too.
Still, she never brought boys home.
Not once.
He never tried to replace anyone; he just kept showing up.
Then six months ago, she called me.
Something in her voice made me sit down.
“Mom… I met somebody.”
Now that somebody was standing on my porch.
***
I opened the door.
Graham was handsome in an almost irritatingly effortless way.
“Mom… I met somebody.”
For one ugly second, a thought slipped through my mind.
Please don’t let this be some joke.
I hated myself for thinking it.
Graham held out a bottle of wine.
“Mercy?”
“That’s me.”
“I’m Graham.”
Before I could respond, Marissa appeared behind me.
“Mari,” Graham said, smiling.
Please don’t let this be some joke.
His face completely lit up when he saw her.
“Your mom actually let you bring dessert?”
Marissa rolled her eyes.
“I made it.”
“That wasn’t my question.”
She smacked his arm.
He laughed.
***
Dinner went better than I could have hoped.
Graham asked about Henry.
His face completely lit up when he saw her.
He listened when I explained how Marissa and I had managed before Henry came along.
He knew which parts of the lasagna Marissa hated.
He refilled her water without interrupting what she was saying.
At one point Marissa started telling a story about their disastrous weekend trip to a cabin.
He refilled her water without interrupting what she was saying.
Graham pulled out his phone.
