"Daddy, do you love Miss Victoria?" The question hit Ethan harder than it should have because he still didn't have confident answer because love felt like word that required more certainty than he possessed. But looking at his daughter's earnest face and Victoria's hopeful expression, he realized that maybe certainty wasn't the point. I care about her very much and I want to spend more time figuring out what we are to each other. Is that okay with you?
Lily nodded slowly. Mommy would want you to have someone who makes you smile. You smile more when Miss Victoria is here. The simple observation from a 4-year-old cut through all the complicated adult logic Ethan had been constructing. Sarah would want him to be happy, would want Lily to have stable home with adults who cared about her.
And whatever Victoria and Ethan were building fake marriage turned real connection, it was making both of them smile more than either had smiled in years. You're very smart, Lily Bug. I know. Lily returned to arranging her stuffed animals. Conversation apparently concluded to her satisfaction.
Victoria caught Ethan's eye, mouthed, "Thank you," with expression that communicated gratitude she couldn't voice in front of Lily. They left Lily to her important stuffed animal work, and walked back to the living room. The city stretched out below them through floor to ceiling windows. Chicago, going about its business, unaware that two strangers who'd met by accident, were choosing to see if their accidental connection could become something intentional. "That went better than I expected."
Victoria's voice was lighter than it had been in weeks. Lily's adaptable. She's had to be. She's amazing. You've raised an incredible kid.
Sarah raised her. I'm just trying not to mess up what she started. Victoria was quiet for a moment. "Can I ask you something about Sarah?" "Yeah."
Do you think she would have approved of this of us? Ethan considered the question seriously, thinking about the woman he'd loved and lost and what she would have wanted for him. Sarah used to say that love wasn't about finding perfect person. It was about finding person who made you want to be better version of yourself. He looked at Victoria.
These past two weeks watching you fight for something you believed in. Seeing you be kind to Lily even when you were falling apart. It's made me want to be better than I've been. more present, more hopeful, less afraid. Victoria's eyes went soft. Is that a yes that she would have approved?
I think Sarah would have approved of anyone who made me smile again and anyone who was patient enough to earn Lily's trust. Then I'll try to keep earning it. They stood together watching the city lights come on as evening settled over Chicago. Two weeks ago, Ethan had been invisible maintenance worker, counting every dollar and praying he could keep his daughter fed and housed. Two weeks ago, Victoria had been CEO drowning under weight of ex-fiance's campaign to destroy her.
Now, they were something neither of them had expected to be partners in something that wasn't quite definable yet, but which felt more real than anything either of them had experienced in years. "So, what happens now?" Victoria asked. Now we figure out the boring stuff. Where I work since I lost my job, how we handle media attention, what we tell people about our relationship.