That’s a lie, but May’s head perks up at her grandmother’s name. I’m sure she’s happy to hear from her, at least.

It’s not that I dislike May’s grandparents. My relationship with them is just... complicated. They were understandably upset when they found out April wanted me to adopt May. They even talked about fighting it, but ultimately, they gave up. Presumably because they knew they had no legal ground, since April made sure she got all the paperwork taken care of in time, and after my parents’ deaths, I had enough financial means to support a child. I suspected they were also afraid that if they fought against me, I might keep May away from them entirely.

Even though they eventually accepted that I’d be May’s father, they still make me a little anxious all these years later.

“How are you?” Elise asks. Followed immediately by, “How’s May?”

I tell her I’m fine, then give her what she really cares about. “May’s doing great! Her grades are excellent this year, like always. I think she’s read her way through half of Mayweather’s local library by now.”

Glancing down, I catch May rolling her eyes at me, so I ruffle her wavy hair. I don’t mention to her grandmother that I let her dye it lavender.

“We’ll have to send her some gift cards,” Elise says, and I try not to huff in annoyance. I may not be wealthy like her and her husband, but I can afford to buy my daughter books. “She has spring break coming up, doesn’t she?”

“It starts tomorrow.”

Elise hums. “Grant and I were hoping we could coordinate a visit, but unfortunately, he couldn’t swing it in time with his work.”

I let out the sharp breath I sucked in at hearing the word visit. The Richardsons know they’re welcome to come up here from Philly, but they rarely do. They claim they don’t like traveling, but they used to take vacations here when April was a kid, so that seems like an excuse. They probably just don’t have the time to bother with the two of us, and that’s sort of fine with me.

After April died and I adopted May, I ended up selling my parents’ house and moving May to Mayweather. I’d never been here before, but I remembered how much April loved it here. And the idea of raising a child in the city felt daunting—the idea of raising a child felt daunting—so I picked this tiny town in Massachusetts, hoping this place would help me create a happy life for myself and May.

And it has. This town has given us so much.

But I’d be lying if I said that getting away from May’s grandparents so they couldn’t judge my every move wasn’t a perk of the relocation.