“That was good, to say that. She should think that her mom and dad loved each other when she was made.”

 “Jock, I did love you. I told you I loved you and you said, ‘Whoa, wait a minute...’”

 He rested his elbows on his knees and briefly hung his head. Then he looked at her. “Riley, there’s no way I’m ever going to be able to go back in time and fix mistakes like that. I never should have done that. I never should have talked that way. I’m telling you, I was a stupid boy and I was scared to death. I didn’t know how I felt. I just didn’t know what to do.”

 “You wouldn’t tell Emma...”

 “Yeah, the list just gets longer and longer. Riley, I’ll be the first person to admit it took me way too long to grow up, to know my mind, to figure out that life was handing me a gift and there was no way I was ever going to deserve it. But I admit I’m a damn lucky man and really, I’m so grateful. And I made my peace with Emma. I finally got to see her and tell her I was sorry that I did that to her, that I cheated on her.”

 “Huh,” Riley huffed.

 “I should have called her and told her we were together. Things might be a lot different if I’d just done that.”

 “You saw her?” Riley asked.

 “Well, yeah.” He laughed ruefully and shook his head. “That daughter of yours, Riley. She’s fifteen going on fifty, you know that? After I told her I was someone else’s boyfriend when I fell for you, she started asking me if I ever said I was sorry to Emma. Of course I hadn’t. I’m too clumsy for that. It would’ve meant finding her number in New York and we both know she was in a bad place—she didn’t need to hear from me. Then Maddie told me she was back. She’d met her. I guess she was with Adam and they ran into her. Maddie isn’t sure but she thinks Adam likes her. And Maddie told me Emma would be having dinner with your mother so I hung around and waited for her to leave so I could...”

 “Wait! What?”

 “What what?” he asked, looking confused.

 “Emma had dinner with my mother?”

 “Yeah. A week or two ago, I think. You didn’t know?”

 “No,” she said, feeling her blood pressure rising. “And Adam is seeing her.”

 “I don’t know. She didn’t mention...”

 “He is,” Riley said, angry. “I can tell. And my mother is having dinner with her behind my back and not telling me. And you’re seeing her, too. Making up with her?”

 “Sort of making up. I just wanted to say I was sorry about all that, sorry that it hurt her, not sorry it happened because we’re very lucky to have Maddie and—”

 “So everyone has personal private stuff going on with Emma and no one finds it necessary to mention any of this to me!”

 “Holy Jesus, maybe if you weren’t so mad all the time!” he fumed. “Don’t you ever get tired of people walking on eggshells around you?”

 “Why aren’t people at least honest with me?” she demanded.

 “I don’t know, Riley! Could it be because you get so freaking angry?”

 She stood up. “So you said you were sorry you cheated on her. Did you ask her for another chance?”

 Jock stood, as well. “Oh, for the love of God, of course not! I don’t want another chance! Why are you so upset?”

 “Oh, I don’t know, Jock. Could it be because everyone is keeping stuff from me? My daughter, my brother, my mother, you! But who gave her the job? Me! Why am I always the one picking up the pieces?”

 Jock just stared at her in shock. “Is that what you think? That you pick up the pieces? Not June or me or even Adam? Aren’t we the A-Team? I know no one counts on me much but you all can. I do everything any of you asks. You weren’t left alone, goddamn it! You had all of us! All of us doing it the way you wanted it done! And here you are, your girl is almost grown and you found someone, she tells me. You finally found someone who deserves you. Well, good for you. And I said I was sorry every way I could so you can get over it now and move on. I never stood a chance with you anyway.”

 “You didn’t want a chance with me!”

 “I asked you to marry me! More than once!”

 “To be with Maddie! To be with your daughter!”

 “No! To put our family together the way it should be! To be with you! But you never got over blaming me for all your problems. Me and Emma. So let me clear that up right now—we all make our own messes and as messes go we got real damn lucky. We got ourselves a beautiful fifteen-year-old mess who’s going to do great things with her life in spite of us.”

 “You didn’t want me,” she said. “You were married six months later!”

 “Yeah, another brilliant move of mine. I was so hungry for someone to love me, to want me, I married the first woman who convinced me I was trusted, that I was desirable. It lasted less than a year but it was over in a day.”

 “Bullshit. Women have always wanted you!”

 “Just not the right one! Don’t you get it, Riley? I did my best. My best has never been good enough.”

 “Now you’re just feeling sorry for yourself. Maddie’s proud of you.”

 “Kids will do that.”

 “She nearly ruined the first dinner we had with Logan. All she did was brag about you. It was very uncomfortable.”

 Jock smiled. “I’ll have to thank her. She run him off?”

 Riley raised her chin. “No. He doesn’t scare easily, I guess. I’m going to go,” she said, feeling exhausted.