”
He patted his pocket. “Yes. I’m sorry for the intrusion. ”
“It must be very important to you.
”
“It’s the only thing I have left from my grandmother. She raised me. ”
She studied his face. “Lily has her father’s old baseball cap.
She won’t part with it. ”
Silence settled between them. Comfortable. “I should let you get back to her,” he said.
She nodded. “It was nice meeting you, Jackson. Truly. ”
“Would it be all right if I called you?
”
She hesitated. “Why? ”
“Because I enjoyed tonight. More than I expected.
”
“I need to be clear. My life revolves around Lily and my store. I’m not looking for a charity project or an exotic detour into single motherhood. ”
He smiled.
“I’d just like to see you again. ”
She considered him. “I suppose that would be all right. ”
“How about Saturday?
”
“I work Saturdays. It’s our busiest day. ”
“Then I’ll come to you. I haven’t been to a bookstore in years.
”
“The Reading Treehouse caters to children under 12. ”
“I’ll risk it. Besides, I should brush up on my dinosaurs if I’m going to impress Lily. ”
Emma’s lips curved.
“The store closes at six. Lily and I usually get pizza afterward. ”
“Pizza sounds perfect. ”
Saturday came with unseasonable warmth.
Jackson parked a block from the store and walked, feeling oddly nervous. The storefront was charming. An oak tree painted around the door. Inside, bookshelves shaped like tree trunks, reading nooks nestled in branches, cushions shaped like toadstools.
He spotted Emma at the counter, helping a young boy. She wore jeans and a green sweater, her hair in a ponytail. She looked up and smiled. He wandered to the dinosaur section.
A small voice beside him said, “That’s a good one. ”
Lily stood there, clutching a dinosaur book. “If you want facts, the blue one is better. ”
“Thank you.
You’re quite the expert. ”
“Mom says I’m a niche enthusiast. ”
Emma approached. “I see you’ve met our resident dinosaur consultant.
”
“She’s giving me excellent advice. ”
At the pizzeria, Lily climbed in beside him, not her mother. She asked him about his hobbies. When he admitted he used to build things but hadn’t in years, she said, “Mom says when you stop doing what makes you happy, your soul gets grumpy.
”
Emma nearly choked on her water. Later, as they left, Lily fell asleep in the car. When they pulled up to Emma’s house, she stiffened. A BMW was parked across the street.
A man leaned against it. “It’s Lily’s father,” Emma said. She stepped out to speak with him. Jackson watched through the windshield.
The man gestured emphatically. Emma stood calm. Then the man grabbed her arm. Jackson was out of the car before he’d processed the decision.
“Is everything all right? ”
Emma removed the man’s hand. “David was just leaving. ”
David sized Jackson up.
“So this is why you’re not answering my calls. Trading up. ”
“That’s enough,” Emma said. “I have every right to see my daughter.
”
“Not at 11:00 at night. Not when you’ve been drinking. ”
David turned to Jackson. “Who are you supposed to be?
”
“My personal life is none of your concern,” Emma cut in. David spat something about the conversation not being over, then pulled out his keys. “You’re not driving,” Jackson said. “Who’s going to stop me?
”
“The police officer at the end of the block might. ”
David hesitated. A police cruiser had pulled up for a routine patrol. He muttered, called a ride share, and left.
Emma released a shaky breath. “I’m sorry about that. ”
“Does he cause problems often? ”
“Nothing I can’t handle.
”
They carried Lily inside together. Jackson waited in the living room while Emma tucked her in. He looked around the apartment. Bookshelves lined the walls.
Family photos. Homemade crafts. It struck him how different it was from his immaculate penthouse. Emma returned.
“Thank you for your help. ”
“Are you all right? ”
“David has perfect timing. Just when things are going well.
”
“You shouldn’t have to deal with that. ”
She sat down. “Welcome to co-parenting with a narcissist. ”
He sat beside her.
“I’d like to see you again. If you’re open to it. ”
“Jackson, my life is complicated. Why would someone like you want this?
”
“Because for the first time in years, I’m having a real conversation with a real person. ”
She studied him. “I hadn’t considered that your life might have its own complications. ”
“Different ones.
No less isolating. ”
A month later, he invited her to a charity gala. She wore a borrowed green gown. He watched her navigate his world with natural grace.
On the balcony, she said, “Everyone keeps asking what Jackson Pierce is doing with someone like me. ”
“Does that bother you? ”
“Not for my sake. But what about in six months?
Will you still want to sit through elementary school recitals? ”
“I want to be at her school play,” he said. “I want to argue about ice cream rules and learn more dinosaur names. ”
“You say that now.
”
“I say it because I’m falling in love with you. Both of you. ”
Her eyes widened. Then she cupped his face.
“I’m falling in love with you, too. ”
Three days later, David showed up at his office. “I want you to stop seeing Emma. ”
“That’s her decision.
”
David leaned forward. “Men like you don’t marry bookstore owners from Somerville. You’ll play house and then reality will set in. ”
Jackson studied him.
“This is about your ego. You couldn’t commit to them, but you can’t stand that someone else might. ”
After David left, Jackson opened his desk drawer. He removed his grandmother’s ring.
That evening, he drove to Somerville. Emma opened the door, worried. “Your ex came to see me today. ”
Her expression turned to outrage.
“I’m so sorry. ”
“Don’t apologize. He made me realize something. ” He took out the velvet box.
“This was my grandmother’s ring. I carried it to every important date. The night we met, you took it home in my jacket pocket. ”
Her eyes widened.
“I’d planned to sell it the next day. I decided no one would ever pass that invisible threshold. Then I met you. ”
He opened the box.
An emerald and diamond ring. “I’m not proposing. Not yet. But I’m asking if you’ll consider a future where that might be possible.
”
Tears spilled down her cheeks. “You really mean this. ”
“You’ve shown me what matters. ”
She pressed her forehead to his.
“I love you, too. And yes, I can see that future. ”
He placed the ring box in her hand. “Keep this.
As a promise. ”
Lily appeared in her dinosaur pajamas. “Why are you crying? ”
“Happy tears,” Emma said.
Lily looked at Jackson. “Are you going to be around more now? ”
“I’d like to be. ”
“Do you know how to make pancakes?
Mom burns them. ”
“I can learn. ”
“Good. Then you can stay.
”
Six months later, Jackson stood in the expanded Reading Treehouse. A cafe and additional space. The Victorian across the street, their new home, was nearly finished. Lily conducted a dinosaur tour for younger children.
Her confidence had bloomed. That night, after tucking Lily in, Jackson and Emma stood in the yard of the apartment she’d soon leave. He felt the weight of his grandmother’s ring in his pocket.
Tomorrow, with Lily’s enthusiastic blessing already secured during a secret dinosaur-themed planning session, he would finally ask the question that had been waiting since that first blind date when a single mom had changed everything.