The Real Father. Kathleen O'Brien

declined to comment. Somehow he couldn’t see Lavinia’s culinary experiment du jour, spinach-and-chickpea casserole, appealing to a nine-year-old little girl. It had taken a good deal of character for this close to thirty-two-year-old man to swallow down his own portion.

      “Still, maybe I’d better check. See if they need anything at all.”

      Lavinia smiled at him archly. “Of course. How thoughtful. Maybe you’d better do that, dear.”

      Jackson kissed her cheek on the way out. “You are an adorable old termagant, did you know that, Auntie?”

      “Thank you,” she said sweetly. “I do my best.”

      HALF AN HOUR LATER, a large, warm, aromatic box of mushroom pizza balanced on his forearm, Jackson climbed the stairs to the carriage house. The night had turned cold and clear. Stars glinted against the black sky, as sharp as bits of broken glass.

      He paused at the door, uncomfortably aware that he was rushing things. She was probably still unpacking—she was undoubtedly tired. He should have given her time to settle in. He should have waited until tomorrow.

      But how could he? He had waited so long already.

      Still, he wished he could shake this ridiculous sense of guilt. Why should he feel guilty? She wasn’t Beau’s girl anymore. Beau was gone. He’d been gone for ten years—long enough, surely, for his claim on Molly to fall forfeit. Surely the invisible walls behind which Beau had cloistered her had long since crumbled to dust.

      Damn it, no more guilt. He exhaled hard, his breath materializing, silver and ghostly, in front of him. He raised his hand and knocked twice. Low, in case Liza was sleeping. But definite. Unashamed.

      He heard her light footsteps as she came toward the door, and he ordered his heart to beat in even time.

      No more guilt. He was betraying no one. He had every right to be here, to offer pizza, to offer help, to offer friendship.

      To offer, in fact, whatever the hell he wanted.