That fear was the worst one. Because Mia's opinion mattered. If his daughter didn't approve, if she felt threatened or uncomfortable, Lucas would have to make an impossible choice. He pushed the thoughts away. One step at a time.
Friday came. Victoria's flight landed at 6:00. Lucas picked her up at the airport, leaving Mia with a neighbor for the evening. When Victoria walked out of arrivals, pulling a small suitcase and looking exhausted but beautiful, something settled in Lucas's chest. This was real.
She was here. Hey, she said, smiling. "Hey." He pulled her into a hug right there in the middle of the airport. She held on tight.
"I missed you," she murmured against his shoulder. "It's been a week." "Still missed you." They drove to his apartment. Victoria was quiet, taking in the neighborhood, the building, everything.
"It's not much," Lucas said, suddenly self-conscious. "Two bedroom, one bath, but it's close to Mia's school and my work, so "It's perfect," Victoria interrupted. "Stop apologizing." "I'm not apologizing." "Yes, you are."
"You're doing that thing where you downplay everything about your life because you think it doesn't measure up to mine." "Well, it doesn't." Victoria grabbed his hand. "My penthouse has floor-to-ceiling windows and a view of the bay. It's also the loneliest place I've ever lived.
This" She gestured to the modest apartment building. "This is a home. There's a difference." Lucas showed her around. The living room with Mia's toys scattered everywhere, the kitchen that was too small but functional, Mia's bedroom decorated in purple and covered in drawings, his own room, simple and plain.
"Where will I sleep?" Victoria asked. "I can take the couch." "You can have my bed." "Or we could share like at the cabin."
Lucas's mouth went dry. "Yeah, okay, we could do that." Victoria smiled. "Don't look so terrified. I'm not proposing we jump into anything.
I just want to be close to you." They ordered takeout and ate on the couch, watching a movie neither of them paid attention to. Victoria curled against his side, her head on his shoulder. It felt natural, easy. "I'm meeting Mia tomorrow," Victoria said during a quiet moment.
"Yeah." "What if she doesn't like me?" "She'll love you." "You can't know that." Lucas turned to look at her.
"She already does." "She asked if you could come to her soccer game. Victoria's eyes widened. She did? Yep.
You made an impression. I was barely around her. That's all it took. Victoria was quiet. I don't know how to do this, Lucas, the kid thing.
I've never I don't have experience with children. Neither did I before Mia. You just figure it out as you go. What if I screw it up? Then you apologize and do better next time.
That's parenting. He squeezed her hand. You'll be fine. Just be yourself. My regular self or my CEO self?
Definitely not the CEO self. Mia's seven. She doesn't care about your quarterly earnings. Victoria laughed. Fair enough.
They fell asleep on the couch tangled together, the TV still playing softly in the background. Lucas woke up around midnight and carried Victoria to bed. She mumbled something incoherent but didn't wake up. He lay beside her watching her sleep and thought about how strange life was. A week ago they were strangers pretending the past didn't exist.
Now she was here in his bed in his life. And tomorrow she'd meet his daughter. Everything was about to change. The next morning Lucas woke to the smell of coffee and the sound of movement in the kitchen. He found Victoria standing at the stove attempting to make pancakes.
You cook? He asked surprised. I'm learning. YouTube is very educational. She flipped a pancake.
It landed perfectly. See? I'm basically a chef. Uh-huh. Huh?
And how many tries did that take? The first six are in the trash. We don't talk about those. Lucas laughed and pulled her in for a kiss. She tasted like coffee and morning and possibility.
What time are you getting Mia? Victoria asked. 10 gives us about an hour. I'm nervous. Don't be.
She's going to love you. You keep saying that. Because it's true. At exactly 10:00, Lucas walked next door to pick up Mia. His neighbor, Mrs. Chen, smiled knowingly when she answered.
"Special friend visiting?" she asked. "Something like that." "Good. You deserve happiness, Lucas.
Don't let it slip away." He brought Mia back to the apartment. She burst through the door, full of energy. "Dad, can we go to the park? Mrs. Chen said it's supposed to be really nice today, and" she stopped short.
"Oh." "Hi, Victoria." Victoria stood up from the couch, looking more uncertain than Lucas had ever seen her. "Hi, Mia. It's good to see you again."
"You came to visit!" Mia beamed. "Dad said you might. Did you come for my soccer game? It's at 2:00."
Victoria glanced at Lucas. He nodded. "I'd love to come to your soccer game," Victoria said. "Cool. I'm a midfielder.
That means I run a lot. Do you like soccer?" "I don't know much about it, honestly. But I'd like to learn." "I can teach you.
Come on. I'll show you my stuff." And just like that, Mia grabbed Victoria's hand and dragged her toward the bedroom. Lucas watched them go, his heart in his throat. 20 minutes later, Victoria emerged looking slightly overwhelmed.
"She has strong opinions about shin guards," Victoria said. "She has strong opinions about everything." "I noticed." Victoria smiled. "She's amazing, Lucas.
Really. You did good." "Thanks." They spent the rest of the morning together. Mia showed Victoria her drawings, her books, her favorite stuffed animals.
Victoria listened attentively, asked questions, engaged like Mia was the most interesting person she'd ever met. And maybe, in that moment, she was. At 2:00, they headed to the soccer field. Mia ran off to join her team. Lucas and Victoria sat on the bleachers watching.
"She's fast," Victoria observed. "Yeah, gets that from her mother, apparently. I was never athletic. They watched in comfortable silence. Mia scored a goal.
Victoria jumped up and cheered. Mia looked over and waved, grinning. She's showing off for you, Lucas said. Good. Let her.