apped me on the back as he shed his coat and took a seat on the stool next to me.
“What are we celebrating, man?” I asked without enthusiasm.
“I’m gonna be a dad!” Tony said happily.
“So, you got laid, did you?” I chuckled. “Congratulations, buddy.”
“Thanks. Anita and I talked it over, and we found a middle ground, man,” he nodded. “And I gotta tell you, it’s been damn good since then.”
“Imagine that,” I said without enthusiasm. “Talking it over solves the problems.”
“Yeah, man, it sure does,” he said, giving me a confused look. “What’s going on with you?”
“Eh, Remy,” I said, without elaborating. KO pushed Tony’s beer down the bar and left us alone.
“What’s she done now?” he asked, before downing half the beer.
“She’s filed a petition to get sole custody of Nina,” I said. “She blames me for what happened, and says I’m an irresponsible parent who can’t be trusted to raise our daughter.”
“That’s bullshit!” Tony yelled. “What the fuck is wrong with that woman?”
“I don’t know, maybe she’s right, you know?” I said glumly.
“She’s not right, B,” Tony protested. “You’re a great dad. She’s just mad that Nina’s growing up and you can’t control her.”
“How the hell did you arrive at that conclusion?” I asked frowning at him.
“Man, I was a teenager once, too,” he laughed. “I can’t believe you don’t remember what that felt like! To want to be grown up and make your own decisions, and to be pissed off when your parents wouldn’t let you.”
“My parents never stopped us from making decisions,” I said, thinking about how I’d never rebelled against my parents because I’d never had to.
“Then you’re one lucky son of a bitch,” Tony laughed. “The rest of us have had to forge our own paths in the face of resistance.”
“But I never resisted Nina,” I said angrily. “I’ve let her do what she wanted to do — within reason.”
“No, you’re a good dad,” Tony agreed. “But have you ever thought about the fact that maybe you’re the good parent and Remy’s the one who is irresponsible?”
“What the fuck?”
“C’mon, man, she’s got an iron fist when it comes to Nina,” he said, shaking his head. “Maybe she’s the one whose not doing the parenting thing right. Think about it.”
I nodded but said nothing. Until Tony said it, the fact that Remy might be the bad parent had not crossed my mind, but it didn’t change the fact that Emily was the one who’d made the decision to keep vital information from me.
And yet, I kept replaying KO’s admonition and wondering if there was still a chance for me and Emily to make things right.
Chapter Forty-Two
Emily
It had been almost a week since I’d last spoken with Blake, and I’d begun to give up hope of ever talking to him again. KO had told me about the conversation she’d had with him at The Lucky Clover, but since he’d remained silent, it seemed as if the talk hadn’t done any good. I resigned myself to the fact that it was over between Blake and I, and that I should find a way to start to move on.
On Monday afternoon, I was cleaning up my desk as I prepared to head home for the day when Nina burst through the classroom door.
“Em—Ms. Fowler, I need you to do me a favor!” she said, in a voice filled with urgency. She was sweating and looked as if she’d been running.
“Nina, what’s going on?” I asked, surprised that she was talking to me after she’d so carefully avoided me for the past week.
“I need you to come to the courthouse with me! Please!” she cried.