The Memory of You (Sanctuary Sound #1)(83)

Emmy pouted. “Can Mommy come to the fair with us?”

“Well, actually, the fair was Steffi’s idea. She invited us to go with her. I just hadn’t had a chance to talk to you about it yet.” He harbored some doubt about the impulsive decision, but he needed to draw a line in the sand with these two so there’d be no misunderstanding.

Val’s friendly expression cooled considerably. “I’m sorry, Emmy. But you’ll have fun. You’re always saying how much you like Miss Steffi.”

“I’d rather go with you, Mommy.” Emmy played right into Val’s hands.

“Thanks, sweetie. Maybe another time.” Val hugged Emmy. “I don’t want to ruin your father’s plans.”

And just like that, she’d made him the bad guy.

“But we see Miss Steffi every day. We never see Mommy,” Emmy begged.

The waiter delivered the food and drinks, giving Ryan time to remove the knife from his heart and collect his wits.

Across the table, Emmy sat with her chin on her fists, frowning. Beside her, Val stroked her hair and snuggled her, whispering something in her ear. He rubbed his sternum, but his esophagus still burned. Val glanced at him, a question in her eyes. He could not let her manipulate him—or their child—to suit her own agenda. It wouldn’t help Emmy to hold on to a fantasy about her family when he knew he couldn’t give her what she wanted.

In fact, protecting Emmy from his feelings for Steffi could be a mistake. If she saw him moving on like she saw her mother with John, she’d have to start accepting her new reality.

“Don’t you think it would hurt Steffi’s feelings if, after she invited us to join her, we went with your mom instead?” He watched Emmy chew on the inside of her cheeks as her frown deepened. “I bet you don’t want to do that after how nice she’s been to you, do you?”

“No.” Emmy was shifting in her seat in a way that told him she was swinging her legs back and forth like a pendulum. Her brows gathered together while she thought of another solution. “What if we all go together? That way no one has to ride alone.”

Val stabbed a forkful of salad and remained silent, leaving him to do all the heavy lifting.

“That would be awkward for the grown-ups, princess. I’m sorry. If your mom had called me in advance, perhaps we could have planned something different. But I can’t rearrange our schedule at the last minute.”

Emmy sat back and crossed her arms, glowering. Ryan ignored the tantrum and pushed a slice of pizza in front of her. She picked at it, having lost interest in the food or in knowing whether Val liked it.

Ryan refrained from lecturing her about being melodramatic, because that would give Val another opportunity to make him the “bad cop.”

“I have to go to the bathroom,” Emmy announced. Val got up to let Emmy scoot off the bench and disappear around the corner.

Ryan chewed his slice in silence, unable to enjoy the salty cheese or crispy pepperoni today. He noticed that Val hadn’t eaten much more than he’d managed. He couldn’t take the gamesmanship for another second. “For Emmy’s sake, I’m putting on a happy face today, but what’s going on? Did you and John fight?”

“No. I told you. He’s in Nebraska, so I decided to come down to see my daughter.”

He leaned forward, elbows on the table like he usually scolded Emmy for doing. “With no warning?”

“I wanted to see you and meet the infamous Steffi. If I’d warned you, you might’ve made yourselves scarce,” she admitted without remorse.

He tossed his napkin on the table. “You do see how manipulative that is, right?”

“Yes.” She folded her hands on the table. “I see everything clearly, don’t worry.”

“I’m trying to have an amicable divorce and keep our daughter as happy as possible.” He shook his head. “What do you want from me?”

“I don’t know. Maybe some insight into why I was never enough for you. Or maybe I’m here to make sure of my feelings so I don’t do to John what you did to me.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He sat back against the booth.

“I broke our vows, but you broke my heart a million times before then. I know you didn’t mean to, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt.” She shrugged one shoulder. “Now I’m not sure I can trust my heart. I don’t want to wake up down the road and find out that John is just a substitute, like I was for Steffi. He deserves better, and so do I.”

Emmy bounded back toward the table. He could’ve kissed her for her good timing, because Val’s last response left him reeling. He’d had the growing sense of his own role in the divorce, but he’d never thought that his doubts had been so obvious or that he’d cut Val so deeply. Had he really done such damage without realizing it? If so, he’d been almost as selfish and hurtful as Steffi had been.

“I’m sorry,” he said, staring at Val and hoping she understood the full weight of his words. He then took out his wallet and threw down forty bucks. “I think I’ll let you ladies enjoy the rest of the afternoon together. I can walk home. It’d be great if you could bring Emmy home by nine.”

“Sounds wonderful.” Val forced a smile, but he knew she wasn’t happy. She spoke to Emmy, who’d resumed pouting. “We’ll shop and get manicures and maybe go someplace fancy for dinner. How’s that sound?”