“How are you two doing today?” he asks.

“We’re good. Busy today?” Almost all the tables are occupied this afternoon.

“Yeah. The nice weather brings everyone out. You having the usual?”

“Yes, please.”

He leans over the counter and smiles at Lyric. “Strawberry or orange today?”

Gripping my hand tighter, she leans against my leg and answers him with a shy smile “Storeberry.”

He winks at her. “That’s my favorite, too.”

We step to the side to wait while he makes our lunch, and I bump into someone with his nose in a magazine.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t see you,” I say, maneuvering around him to wait near the candy display.

“Piper?”

I pull the candy bar out of Lyric’s hand and put it back before looking up into a vaguely familiar handsome face.

It takes a few seconds for my mouth to move. “Josh. Hi… I didn’t even recognize you.”

How is it possible for someone to change so much? The last time I saw Josh he was wiry thin, his brown hair trimmed in a military cut, and he wore silver-rimmed glasses that always had fingerprints on the lenses. He was sort of a nerd. A cute one, but still a nerd. Not anymore. He must have taken up working out because his arms and shoulders are double the size they used to be. His hair, longer and lighter, hangs just past his eyebrows in a messy but sexy way. The glasses are gone, along with the oversized sweatshirts, jeans, and old sneakers he used to live in. Now, he looks incredibly trendy and put together in black pants, a gray sweater, and black leather loafers.

“It’s been a long time,” he says. The unsure smile I remember is now relaxed and confident.

“Yeah, it has.”

“You look great, Piper.”

I wish I did, but I don’t. In fact, I’m pretty sure I’m still wearing yesterday’s makeup. The only thing different about me is the toddler hanging on to my hand trying to steal candy.

“Thanks…this is my daughter, Lyric.”

A brief flash of shock widens his eyes. “Wow. She’s adorable. How old is she?”

“She’s three.”

“Damn. She has your smile.”

Everyone says that, but I don’t see it. All I see are Blue’s eyes and smile. I quickly shove him out of my mind and focus on Josh.

“So, what are you doing here?” I ask. “Are you visiting your parents?”

He shakes his head. “No. I meant to call you but time kept slipping away. I moved back here last year. Landed a great career, bought a house, went through a bad breakup, spent all my time fixing up said house, and here I am. What about you?”

“Similar. Got a great job, got an apartment, got my heart broken, got pregnant, and spend my time chasing her around.” I glance toward the register when Robbie calls my name. “That’s my order.”

“I gotta run, too. But hey, you want to grab dinner tomorrow night? We can catch up and shoot the shit.”

I haven’t had dinner with a man in years. Everyone said being a single mom wouldn’t prevent me from dating, but it has. Meeting guys is hard. And when I do meet one, either I don’t think they’re good enough to bring into our lives, or they don’t want anything to do with a woman with a child. Or they just want sex. On rare occasion, I’ve met one who’s actually looking for love, which is just as much a hard no for me as sex is. So, guess I can’t put all the blame on the men, because I come with my own set of dysfunctions.

But this is Josh, and he doesn’t come with any strings or expectations.

“Okay. I’d like that.”

If Josh senses my slight hesitation, he doesn’t show it. “Give me your number and I’ll call you tomorrow to get your address.”

We exchange numbers. After we go our separate ways, I head home to immerse myself in work while Lyric plays with her dolls on the floor. She’s placed a toy teacup and saucer in front of Acorn and is chattering on endlessly. Lyric is an incredibly sweet, undemanding child who keeps herself occupied for hours. She doesn’t throw tantrums, and while she sometimes debates with me, she doesn’t argue or defy. Acorn is a wonderful fur-sibling, always patient and attentive with Lyric and her imaginary adventures. Although we had a rocky start, I feel very blessed to have such a happy, content little family.

Content. The word—the thing—that took away the only missing piece in our life. I turned fear, unexpected hurdles, and chaos into contentment. Into my form of contentment. Would Blue have been able to do the same? Would he have found what he wanted and needed in me and in our child if he had stayed and given us a chance?

I’ll probably never know. And sadly, neither will he.

“I can’t believe you’re going out with Josh. We haven’t seen him in forever.”