Chris shook his head. “I’m not mad at anyone. I was, at first. Zoey and I made a promise to keep each other in the loop about anything that might affect Hazel’s life, and she broke that promise by not telling me about you.” He shrugged. “But I’ve broken it a few times, too. Good intentions and all that.” He shrugged again. “As far as why I’m here? It seemed like the responsible dad thing to do—to at least talk about what happened. And...” His eyes filled with regret before he glanced away. “Everyone knows Zoey didn’t deserve what I did to her. I should have told her I was unhappy instead of...well...”

“Sleeping around?” Mike offered helpfully.

“I didn’t sleep around. It was only Genna.” Mike didn’t point out the hypocrisy of that statement. “Zoey deserves to be happy.” His eyes narrowed on Mike. “I don’t want to see her hurt again.”

“I don’t, either,” Mike answered. If she ever let him back in, he’d make sure of it.

“And about that video...” Chris scrubbed a hand over his face. “Hazel’s teen years are going to test me at every turn. I told her she needs to apologize to you.”

“She doesn’t need to—”

“She does. Look, if you and Zoey make a go of it, we’re all gonna be joined at the hip for every life event in Hazel’s life—graduation, marriage, kids.” He shook his head as if the thought overwhelmed him. “Zoey’s a package deal, and the package is more than just Hazel. It’s every side of Hazel’s now-extended family. Genna finally grasped that. You’re gonna have to step up, too.”

He wasn’t taking on a woman. He was taking on a ready-made family. He just had to love Zoey enough to wait her out.

And for once, the idea no longer terrified him.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

“NO, NOT THERE. I want the patio table in the other corner. Where’s the umbrella for it?” Vickie looked around the new deck behind her house as if the brightly striped umbrella might be hiding in plain sight.

“It’s still in the storage shed,” Gordy replied, sliding the glass-top table to where Vickie was pointing. “I’ll get it. Relax, woman. This isn’t an international summit. It’s a kid apologizing to a grown man.”

She’d been surprised to get the text from Hazel yesterday. Vickie wasn’t much of a texter, so she’d called Hazel back, earning herself a lecture on modern communication from a thirteen-year-old. Eventually Hazel got to the point—she wanted to apologize to Mike for that ridiculous video, but she wanted to do it somewhere without her parents, or anyone else, looking on. Somewhere like Vickie’s new deck.