Vulnerable [Suncoast Society] (Suncoast Society #29)(3)

Eva had all of Laurel’s stuff ready to go and sitting inside the front door, a large rolling suitcase holding everything from clothes to Laurel’s favorite stuffed toy. Laurel had some clothes at his place, and he was slowly adding to her wardrobe there, but most of her stuff was still here.

He realized Eva wore a necklace of dried macaroni elbows strung on blue yarn. He smiled. “Nice fashion statement.”

Finally, the ghost of a smile. “Don’t laugh. All three of us match.”

Laurel ran back to them and, sure enough, she had another necklace in her hands and had put one on. He bent down so she could drape it around his neck.

“See, Daddy? We all match.”

“Thank you, sweetheart. I love it.”

“I know you can’t wear it to work because it would get messed up.”

“I certainly don’t want to mess it up.”

“Can we go have sushi tonight, Daddy?”

“Sure. I was hoping you’d say that. I’ve been in a mood for sushi all day.”

Eva wrinkled her nose. “Enjoy.”

Eva had always hated sushi. Leo suspected that was another source of resentment, that he had something special to do with their daughter that she couldn’t take part in.

The first time he’d taken Eva out for sushi when they were dating, she’d nearly puked on the table. But one night when Laurel was only three, she’d snarfed one of his rainbow roll pieces from a package of them he’d bought at Publix and brought home, and she’d been hooked ever since.

Five minutes later, Leo had her stuff loaded and Laurel was safely belted into her booster seat in the backseat and chattering away about everything she’d done that day, catching him up since their phone call the evening before just ahead of her bedtime.

No, life hadn’t turned out the way he’d thought it would, and yes, he would take full responsibility for his role in their divorce. He should have admitted to himself years earlier what was blatantly clear to him from a very young age.

He was gay, and he hadn’t done Eva any favors by trying to suppress that side of himself.

All it’d done was break Eva’s heart and destroy his family.

Once they were seated in a booth at their favorite sushi restaurant, Laurel grabbed her pencil and order pad and started checking things off. He watched, amused. She had her favorites, and she always ordered way too much. Which was okay, because he had some of hers, and the leftovers made good breakfast for Saturday morning when they sat on the couch and watched her favorite shows before starting their day together.

Tomorrow, after breakfast, he would take her to Mote Marine, one of her favorite places. So much so that he’d bit the bullet and purchased the annual family membership, which hit his budget, but saved him a lot of money in the long run. Laurel could spend hours looking at the exhibits and knew most of the sea turtles and other specimens by name. She was obsessed with the place.

To the point that Laurel had actually started researching stuff on the iPad he’d given her, looking up the things she saw, and facts about Mote Marine. And they’d gone there so often they even knew some of the regular staff and volunteers by name.

Even cooler, the staff and volunteers were remembering Laurel’s name, answering her questions, and sparking a fire for knowledge in his daughter that he hoped would never go out.

Laurel finally handed the order pad to him. “There you go, Daddy.”

He smiled. “Thank you, sweetheart.”

“I really like it when we get sushi.”

“I do, too.”

“Mommy’s new boyfriend likes sushi, too.”

He froze, his hand hovering over the order pad. Yes, he was gay.

But he was a father. And Eva hadn’t mentioned anything lately about her dating someone. The last guy Eva had dated, Leo hated the * on sight but kept his mouth shut. Fortunately, that relationship had only lasted a few weeks before she broke up with the guy.

Any guy Eva dated, who’d be hanging around Laurel, he wanted to know about.

The converse wasn’t an issue because Leo hadn’t dated. There’d been two one-time encounters he regretted up at a resort in St. Pete—regretted because there was no emotional connection whatsoever—but dating hadn’t happened yet.

The point being, if he was dating, he would make Eva aware of that fact. It was something they’d unofficially agreed to during their sessions with the counselor, not part of their actual divorce settlement.

“He does, does he?” Leo commented.

“He brought it with him once. Mommy won’t go out for it. She won’t buy it for me, either.”

“Okay.” He tried to keep his tone noncommittal and forced himself not to quiz Laurel about the guy.

Fortunately for Leo, six-year-olds could rarely keep things close to the vest. “She met him at work. He’s okay. He’s come over for dinner a couple of times. And one time he took us out to eat at a fish place.” Her nose wrinkled. “But they didn’t have sushi.”

He fought the urge to laugh out loud. He could imagine how that conversation went. Laurel wasn’t a spoiled brat, but she was opinionated and didn’t hesitate to express those opinions.

Something she inherited from him, he was glad to see.

“His name’s Mark,” she added. “He’s divorced. He’s got a daughter older than me but she lives with her mom in New York.” She cocked her head at him. “You won’t move, will you, Daddy?”