Tony lowered his head.
“I never meant to become like him.”
“But you made the same choices.”
He wiped his eyes.
“I know.”
Dakota spoke quietly.
“After Emily died, I contacted Tony. I told him Lily needed stability and deserved to know her father.”
I turned toward her.
“Is that why you moved across the street?”
She nodded.
“Tony suggested it. He thought being nearby would make it easier for him to spend time with Lily.”
I looked at him.
“Then why didn’t you?”
Tony said nothing.
Dakota continued.
“He kept promising he’d tell you everything, but every week there was another reason to wait.”
I thought about the coffee deliveries.
“You were trying to catch him alone in the mornings?”
“Yes. Every morning, he’d promise to talk to you.”
“And when he wouldn’t, you gave him a deadline.”
Dakota nodded.
“I handled it badly. I know you thought something was happening between us, but I was trying to make him take responsibility.”
