“So, who got the can of tuna in the end?”
Stu’s lips lifted into a half smile. “Your mother did, of course. Even after only knowing her for a few minutes, I would’ve given her anything she asked for, including the shirt off my back.”
Sophia brought her head to rest against her father’s shoulders. “You’re so corny, Dad. I can’t believe Mom found that charming.”
“It got her to marry me, didn’t it?”
Sophia smiled. “Yeah, I still can’t believe you asked her to marry you after only knowing her for a few months.”
Stu shrugged. “When you know you’ve met the person you want to spend the rest of your life with, you don’t waste any kind of time. Besides, I couldn’t wait to start a family with her, either. The day she told me she was pregnant, I think I was more emotional about it than she was.”
“I didn’t know that,” Sophia murmured, pausing to give his shoulders a light squeeze. “You know that it’s okay to talk about her, right?”
Stu exhaled, his shoulders deflating. “I know it is, and I like how talking about her makes it feel like she’s still here, but sweetheart…it’s not about wanting to talk about her. Sometimes, it feels like I can’t.”
Sophia drew back and studied his profile. “Do you think it’ll ever get easier for you to talk about her?”
Stu tilted his head in her direction. “I don’t know. Sometimes, I think it will, and some days, I know it won’t. It really depends on how I’m feeling at the moment, but I don’t want you to feel like you can’t talk to me about her. Even though I only had two years with your mom, I know I’m never going to forget her. She was the love of my life.”
And Sophia could hear it in his voice and see it on his face that her father had no intention of ever finding someone else. Considering how well and deeply he loved Kelly, she shouldn’thave been surprised, but she often found herself wondering if it was for the best. Her father had, after all, only been with Kelly for two years, and she’d been gone for over forty years, yet her father was still as in love with her now as he was back then.
As far as Sophia was concerned, it was bittersweet. But she couldn’t deny that a part of her was relieved he’d never decided to move on, if only because it kept the memory of her mother alive and untainted.
With a sigh, Sophia stood and stretched her arms over her head. Teddy hurried over, sniffed her hand, and snorted.
“I know how much you loved her, Dad, and how difficult it was to lose her, so I don’t want to push,” Sophia told him in a low voice. “Whenever you feel like you can talk about her, I’ll be right here.”
Stu nodded and rubbed his eyes.
In silence, he stood and disappeared inside. Sophia stayed outside with Teddy until a strong gust of wind blew past, and Teddy began to bark and spin around in circles. As soon as she pushed the back door open, Teddy raced past her and into her father’s room, where the door was propped open.
She heard Stu tell Teddy off with a smile in his voice.
Sophia spent the rest of the day in her apartment with the yoga mat rolled out in the middle of the living room and the latest DIY project playing on her screen. In the afternoon, she went to check on her dad, only to find the house empty. She slunk back into her own apartment, made herself a sandwich, and ate it by the window, watching through a slit in the curtain as people passed each other on the sidewalk.
In the evening, she had her legs tucked underneath her and was doing some deep breathing exercises when Stu came in. He took his arms out from behind his back to reveal a hand-carved, wooden jewelry box with a ballerina in the center. Wordlessly, he set it down on the kitchen counter and took a few steps back.
“I forgot that this existed,” Stu began, his hands fluttering to his sides. “Your mom had me make this for you, and I had no idea that she kept it in the back of the closet until now.”
Sophia untucked her legs and rose to her feet. “It’s beautiful, Dad.”
Stu nodded. “I think so, too. It’s got more of your mom’s jewelry in there. I thought maybe you and Lily could go through it together and see what you want to keep or give away.”
Sophia frowned and bridged the distance between them. “Dad, we don’t have to do any of this right now. There’s still time.”
Stu shook his head. “It’s been over forty years. It’s never going to be a good time to go through her stuff, but I think it’s time to start.”
Sophia’s heart stopped and sputtered. “Dad, I—”
“I’ll call Ian later, and we can set it up, so Lily is here, too,” Stu continued as if he hadn’t heard her. “I can’t delay it any longer.”
Sophia’s throat turned dry.
She opened and closed her mouth several times, but no words came. Eventually, her dad left the apartment after giving her a sad smile and pausing to pat Teddy. As soon as the door clicked shut behind him, Sophia exhaled, and her eyes darted around the room, wild and unfocused. Before she knew what she was doing, she’d changed into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. Then she clipped Teddy’s leash and left through the back door, a cold breeze slapping her across the face.
She took off at a brisque pace in the direction of the pier.
Sophia was sitting on a bench overlooking the water when Darren walked up to her and sat down. He draped his jacket over her shoulders, the smell of pinewood and incense washing over her. She didn’t look at him as she leaned forward and released a deep, shaky breath.
