Chapter 6 - A SATURDAY BY THE LAKE
The park was crowded with families enjoying the autumn sun.
Ethan arrived in jeans and a sweater,
looking more human than I had ever seen him.
The boys were hesitant at first.
They stayed close to my side,
watching him with suspicion.
But Ethan had come prepared.
He brought three high-end kites,
the kind that required skill to fly.
“I heard you guys like engineering,”
Ethan said,
handing a kite to Leo.
“These are designed with a specific aerodynamic lift.”
That was the magic phrase.
Within twenty minutes,
he had them captivated.
He was on the grass,
showing them how to catch the wind.
He laughed when they tripped,
and he cheered when the kites soared.
For a moment,
I forgot about the divorce.
I forgot about the lawyers.
I forgot about the five years of loneliness.
I saw the father he could have been.
I saw the man I had fallen in love with before the world got in the way.
As the sun began to set,
Julian ran up to me.
“Mom,
Mr. Ethan says he knows how to build robots!”
I looked at Ethan,
who was walking toward us with a boy on each side.
“Mr. Ethan?”
I repeated,
raising an eyebrow.
Ethan shrugged,
a sheepish grin on his face.
“We’re taking it slow,”
he said.
“They’re amazing,
Olivia.”
“You did an incredible job raising them.”
“Thank you,”
I said,
and for the first time,
I meant it.
As we walked to the cars,
Ethan stopped me.
“I’m moving to Chicago,”
he announced.
I blinked in surprise.
“What about the company?”
“I’m opening a Chicago branch,”
he said.
“But mostly,
I’m delegating.”
May you like
“I missed five years.”
“I’m not missing another day.”
