“Hello Emilio,” I said, opening the front door trepidatiously.



The very sight of him put me on edge. How would today go? Would the girls like him? What was his real reason for coming here today? These thoughts and more raced through my mind as I took in his suave smile and strong features. This was the first time I’d seen him since I left him three years ago. My stomach twisted into a knot and I felt like I was going to throw up.

Eventually I had to move. I stepped aside to let him walk through the doorway.

Emilio’s face had lighted up the moment he saw me. “Kat, It’s so good to see you again!” he exclaimed, and threw his arms around me for a friendly hug. Well, kudos to him for at least trying to make this a pleasant experience.



Behind us, the girls stared in awe at the father they’d never gotten to know. I noticed that Emilio was staring too, peeking around me to take in the sight of his daughters. He was just as curious as they were.

“Well, come on girls, meet Emilio,” I said to them. Was it my imagination, or did he flinch a little bit when I referred to him by his name. Did he expect to be called ‘daddy?’

“Hello! I’m Isabella,” said Izzy, stepping forward first. She extended her arms for a hug and Emilio immediately dropped to his knees and pulled her into his chest.

“Ah, il mio bambino dolce e bello!” he muttered, which means ‘my sweet, beautiful child.’ I had to admit, he was impressing me.



Izzy absolutely beamed; she was a very warm child and loved to make new friends. I could tell that she immediately liked Emilio, and I only hoped her instant affection for him wouldn’t open her up to be hurt.

“And you must be my Gabriella,” Emilio said, smiling widely and looking to Gabby. He held out his arms for a hug but she only stood there staring at him.

“My name is Gabby. And I am not yours,” she said harshly.

Emilio stood up, looking hurt.

I took Gabby’s hand. “Sweetie, you should say hello to Emilio in a nice way. He’s your father,” I said, trying to demonstrate some semblance of authority, but it was hard since I was giggling like a teenager on the inside at her attitude toward him.

“Hello Emilio, it’s nice to meet you.” Gabby corrected herself, looking down at her feet.

This attempt wasn’t much better, but one glance at Emilio and I saw that he was beaming again.

“You girls go get your stuff and then we’ll be off to the zoo,” I said, patting them on the back as they headed up to their room. I was left alone in the foyer with my ex-husband.

“Wow, you look great, Kat – if I may be so bold.” Emilio was absolutely oozing with politeness today.



“So, how are you? How’s work?” I asked quickly, trying to take my mind off how awkward I felt being in the same room with him.

“It’s great! Actually, I’m no longer at Funder & Peal Investment Firm. The work was too onerous. My father opened a new furniture store and I took a job with him as office manager. I know the business aspect of the job like the back of my hand, but what I really enjoy is the carpentry. I tried my hand at it once, and it just stuck as my favorite hobby. It’s very relaxing!”

“Oh! That’s great. I’m glad you’re doing something you enjoy.” It was true; I was happy for him.

“Are you still – hey, I recognize that,” he said abruptly, motioning to my neck.



He squinted. “Isn’t that the locket Sean gave you?”

“Oh!” I gasped, instinctively raising my hand to touch the necklace. I’d gotten into the habit of wearing it again, much to Sean’s delight. “Yes, it is,” I replied.



I stood there for a moment fingering the chain, wondering what Emilio was thinking. He was still starting quizzically at my throat, where my hand covered the locket. Suddenly his eyes widened as if he were just noticing something for the first time. I looked down… oh.

My diamond engagement ring gleamed in the morning light as I lowered my hand.

“An engagement ring… and wearing Sean’s locket,” he said, slowly putting it all together. “So, either your fiancé is a fool, or… you and Sean…?”

“Yep, me and Sean.” I smiled. It was great to show off how happy I was. I felt a little elated, like I was winning the unspoken contest to be happier than your ex.

“That’s great!!” Emilio seemed genuinely excited.



“I’m so glad things have worked out between you two,” he continued. “It was obviously meant to be.”

A distant memory floated to my head of a time long ago when Emilio insisted that destiny would always work itself out. I smiled, and knew that even thought we’d taken the long road, Sean and I had inevitably ended up together again.

The banging of the girls’ shoes on the stairs pulled me from my thoughts. It was time to go.

The car ride was so awkward that you could cut the tension with a knife. I drove silently, sneaking glances at the rear view mirror to watch the girls in the back seat. They were glued to their ‘Dora the Explorer’ movie, and I was stuck sitting next to Emilio while he made comments about the weather. I wished fiercely that I’d had an extra day to prepare myself for his visit, or at least that the two of us could have met privately before trying to merge the whole family together. I hoped today would go well.

Fortunately, it did. Our day at the zoo was actually quite fun. Emilio put a lot of effort into befriending the girls. He genuinely wanted to know his daughters.



Izzy spent most of the time asking him many questions, learning all of his favorites; color, animal, word, number, food. They hit it off great.

Gabby, on the other hand, never quite warmed up to her father. Emilio had tried several times to bring up a conversation about the animals, but she simply refused to talk to him.



I thought he seemed hurt by her standoffishness, but he said he was just glad to be spending time with us.

Midway through the day, we stopped at the large jungle themed playground so the girls could run around for a little bit. Emilio and I sat down on the benches with the other parents keeping an eye on their kids. I couldn’t help but to ask the question I had been dying to know the answer to all day.

“How’s Trevor doing?” I knew I shouldn’t have gone there, this was none of my business, but I had the insatiable need to know the fate of the man Emilio had cheated on me with. Were they still together?

“I would assume Trevor is… happy. Or at the very least happy with the image he’s created for himself.“



Emilio must have known that I had more questions about Trevor, because he continued on with a thorough account.

“The answer to your unspoken question is no. We are not together. We continued on with our affair for about a year after you divorced me. I was too miserable to put forth effort into any other aspect of my life, and so I let myself be consumed with him and his promises of happiness.

“Around that time, Trevor was high up in some social circles and his public image meant a lot to him. But some of his colleagues were starting to question his lifestyle. He was never seen with a date, and was thought of as far too fashionable for his own good. He soon met a rather naïve woman at a bar and saw an opportunity before him. He planned to elope with this woman in order to redeem his reputation.

“The marriage would be only for appearances and he fully intended to carry on his affair with me. I let it happen, I didn’t care at that point, and so Trevor married his woman and they told everyone that they’d been caught up in a ‘whirlwind romance.’

“But, whatever you think of me, and I know you must think some horrible things – all of which I deserve – I couldn’t continue our affair. I was overcome with grief; I was reliving the hell I’d gone through when I was cheating on you, and I couldn’t wreck yet another marriage. I had to control myself. I had to end it.

“It’s been two years since I’ve seen him, but I hear he’s still married. I’ve run into his wife several times at the market, but she always seems in a hurry to leave, like someone is chasing her. Poor woman.”



I couldn’t believe my ears as he told me the story. Somehow, Emilio had gained a conscience from this. If anything, I was glad. The failed marriage that I had spent many nights regretting had served some good purpose.

“Kat,” he continued. “I know that what I did was horrible, and you had every right to be angry and hurt, and I understand if you cannot forgive me. But I want you to know that I am truly sorry. I cannot undo it, but I wish I could. You’ve done an amazing job raising our girls and I want you to know I admire you for what you have had to endure because I couldn’t be there for the three of you.” He stopped talking, and looked down at his knees.

His words were surreal. I hadn’t expected his apology, but I believed it was heartfelt. It brought me a little peace. Maybe things would turn out alright and the girls could get to know their real father.

-----------------------------------

We’d grabbed dinner on our way home, but when I pulled up to the house I impulsively asked Emilio if he’d like to come in for a piece of pie. He agreed and we went inside to find Sophia and Patrick hanging out in the living room.

As soon as I’d walked in with Emilio following me, I saw Sophia’s eyes light up. She always loved to be in the center of things and I knew she wouldn’t have wanted to miss seeing Emilio while he was in town. She wouldn’t want to miss out if any drama happened.

Everyone sat down at the table and I dished out the cherry pie.



Sophia was eyeing Emilio with a mix of curiosity and contempt. He smiled back gently, probably trying to reassure her that he meant no harm.

“So, Emilio, what brings you to town? Kat says this is your second visit to our area. It’s really too bad we didn’t catch you the first time,” Sophia said, though the last part was obviously an embellishment. I’d purposely avoided Emilio’s first visit right after my grandfather’s funeral.

“Well, I suppose this had to come up sooner or later...” Emilio cleared his throat. “My fiancé and her family live in Smithville, a few miles away from here.”



Sophia and I simultaneously dropped our mouths open in shock. What had he just said? Fiancé? And he’d said the word so strangely, like he wasn’t used to using it.

The kids were oblivious to the sudden change in the conversation and continued eating their dessert silently.

“Well, we’re so happy for you, right Kat?” Sophia said, looking at me to back her up. “Of course you know that Kat and Sean are getting married in September.”

“This isn’t a competition,” I said sternly to my sister. Was the hostility really necessary? “I told Emilio all about Sean and me. And Emilio, of course we’re happy for you. I just don’t understand why you didn’t say something sooner.”

“Well, when you told me your good news, I couldn’t steal your thunder,” he replied.



“So tell us about her,” Sophia said, her request almost seeming like a demand.

“Her name is Natalia… I have a picture here somewhere.” He pulled out his well worn wallet and flipped through the small picture slides until he found the one he was looking for. Passing the wallet to me, he started filling the conversation with details about his wife-to-be.



She was gorgeous with long dark hair, large eyes, and pouty lips; Distinctively Italian.

“It’s all very traditional,” Emilio said. “Our parents arranged everything. We’ve only met a few times, but I enjoy her presence and I think we’ll be happy together.”

That was definitely something I didn’t miss about my Italian heritage. I remembered how obsessive my grandparents had been in insisting I marry Emilio because of his background. I felt sorry for both of them.

“Well, I certainly hope you will be,” I said. Though I had distaste for the situation, it was their decision to make, and I felt like this would be a good thing for Emilio.

At that moment, we heard the garage door rumble open.

“Pete must be home,” Sophia said cheerfully.

We sat expectantly as the side door opened and shut and footsteps sounded in the hallway.

But it wasn’t Pete who walked into the kitchen. It was Sean. He’d used the spare key under the mat.

Immediately the girls perked up and leapt out of their seats.

“Daddy!” they both exclaimed, running to greet him.



Sean laughed heartily and returned their hugs.

I saw Emilio shift in his chair out of the corner of my eye, and I glanced over at him. He was staring at the scene before us with a strong expression of sadness.



It must have been hard for him to see how willingly his daughters ran to Sean, the man who’d always been his rival, especially after we’d all had such a pleasant day together.

“How was your day at the zoo?” Sean asked the girls as he stood up.

“It was real, real fun!” said Izzy.

“Yeah, I liked all the monkeys!” Gabby chimed in. “They were climbing on stuff and swinging around!”

“And we made a new friend! Emilio is really nice,” Izzy said, smiling proudly. Gabby frowned to show she didn’t agree with his sister’s opinion about Emilio.

“That’s good!” Sean replied. He walked over to join us at the table. “Thanks for taking care of the girls today, Emilio. So, how much longer are you in town?”

“Tomorrow is my last night. Speaking of tomorrow night, what are you guys doing? I would like to take everyone out for dinner if you’ll let me.”

“Oh, we couldn’t impose on you like that,” Sean replied.

“No, no; I insist. We’ll celebrate your engagement.”

“Okay, sounds like fun!” I agreed before anyone could object. I knew that Emilio wasn’t everyone’s favorite person, but I needed Sean and Sophia to be comfortable with him being around. After all, he was the twins’ father and hopefully he would be in their lives from here on out.

It was late and Sean had to leave. I leaned forward to kiss him goodnight and tried to ignore the burning feeling of my ex-husbands eyes on the back of my head.
_______________________________________________

So how do you think dinner will go?

Anyone else laughing at the panda picture? I couldn't shoot that set with a straight face, the bears are stuffed animals, haha! But, purposed served.

As of right now there are only TWO CHAPTERS LEFT! Ahhhhh! I know!