“And that’s the way I love it, Bishop,” she sighed, her body going limp.
I sat up and lifted her from the uncomfortable pillow, straightening her out on the bed and covering us, still naked and wrapped in each other’s arms. I would die a happy man as long as she was always by my side.
THE SUN WAS SETTING, and soon the moon would be up, but I didn’t care as I floated around the lake on my chair float. The water was still warm, and the company was delightful. We’d picked Athena up at the airport yesterday, and when we got back home, we spent the rest of the day talking, laughing, and getting to know each other. We even went to The Fluffy Cupcake for some of Able Baker Brady’s sourdough to make her favorite dinner. Grilled cheese.
Brady was pleased to introduce Athena to Lake Pendle by handing her a loaf of his famous bread. Haylee had smothered her with hugs, cupcakes, and happiness, as she always does. Something told me my best friend knew exactly why this girl had come home to see her daddy.
Athena was indeed the spitting image of Bishop. She was gorgeous with beautiful long golden-brown hair and green eyes like her daddy. She was a full head taller than me, not a surprise, since most people are, and bubbly to boot. Whatever her reason for coming home, she hadn’t revealed it yet.
“Lake Pendle is a great place,” she said from her innertube. “Quiet, peaceful, safe.”
I nodded and paddled the chair around so I could face her. “My hometown is idyllic most of the time. There’s the Sunday evening waterski show on the lake every week. In fact, Able Baker Brady is always on the top of the pyramid like the show off he is. Oh! We have Strawberry Fest, too! It’s like a county fair, but better. There’s baking competitions, parades, animal judging, and the midway.”
“That does sound fun,” she agreed, her eyes on the horizon. “Are you and daddy going this year?”
“We are, it’s this coming weekend,” I explained. “The Fluffy Cupcake has a booth there every year where we sell cupcakes and bread. Normally, I staff the booth, but this year, things are changing. I do hope you’ll still be here. I’d love to introduce you and Bishop to the fair for the first time.”
She rubbed her belly around and around. “The Fluffy Cupcake was the best part of this town. Those Berry Sinful cupcakes were better than anything I could get in California.”
I chuckled and nodded. “We have no problem selling our wares in this town, that’s for sure. If you’re going to school to be a chef, you should sit down with Haylee and Brady. They’re both master bakers, and Haylee is a trained chef as well. She might have some words of wisdom to share.”
“I’d like that,” she said, her lips trying to smile, but failing. “She was very sweet to me today. Sometimes, Daddy’s friends don’t know how to act around me, so they just ignore me. I think it’s because he doesn’t tell people he’s a father. I know over the years he’s been ashamed to admit it to his colleagues.”
I jumped out of my lounger instantly and grabbed her innertube. “No! That is not why Bishop didn’t tell people about you,” I said, vibrating with sadness for this girl who thought her dad wanted to hide her away.
“Don’t get me wrong,” she said quickly, “I love him, and I get why he does it. It’s hard to be barely thirty-four and have an eighteen-year-old kid to deal with.”
My head swung wildly while I pushed her tube to shore. “Listen to me, Athena. He has never been ashamed of you a day in his life. God, he loves you so much that he’d die for you. I know you don’t understand the nuances of being a teen parent, but it’s a real thing. He was cautious because he didn’t want you to get hurt. He had to trust people before he’d tell them.”
“He told you right away, though,” she pointed out.
“He did,” I agreed.
“He must have trusted you then.”
I smiled and winked, hoping my face was open and honest. “He did, but in Bishop’s defense, it just slipped out. We started this relationship as friends, and he didn’t have any reason to hide you from me. Now I can see that he just needed someone to talk to about it. He missed you terribly, even if he tried to hide it,” I said, and she chuckled, nodding her head.
“He’s always the stoic one.”
I pointed at her and laughed. “Exactly. He tried to hide it, but I could tell that he was struggling with his little version of having an empty nest. He’s fiercely proud of you, though, and he’d fight to the death against anyone who tried to hurt you.”
“Dinner is ready,” Bishop called, jogging down the hill.
Athena smiled to acknowledge what I said, but I could tell she only half believed me. She jumped out of her tube, tossing it up on shore along with my float. I made my way to shore on one leg, and Bishop wrapped me in a towel before he lifted me into his arms to carry me up the hill.
“I love you, Mrs. Halla,” he whispered, kissing my lips once while he walked.
“Newlyweds,” Athena said from behind us with fake sarcasm and disgust.
I chuckled with Bishop, stroking his bearded cheek until he set me in a seat at the table. It was piled high with burgers and brats, chips, and watermelon. I happened to know some raspberry tarts were waiting in the fridge, too. I bit into a brat while we talked about everything from Athena’s internship at Disney to her school days in California. It was the first time she had mentioned school or work, which told us that she was struggling with something that had to do with them.
“That was delicious. Thanks, Bishop,” I said,
