One night stand with my daddy's best friend
71

Perhaps I should have found a wife sooner. I was forty, so it wasn't too late, I supposed. But had I married when I was younger, I'd have a family with me as I navigated this new part of my life. Having someone grounded and sweet like Lizzy would definitely make this transition easier.

But military life is hard,

"What?" I couldn't wrap my head around it.

"Yep. She showed up with a daughter I never knew I had. Jesus, it scared the sh-crap out of me."

"Did you poop your pants?" Emma asked sincerely. "It's an expression, Em," Ari said, shaking her head.

"If it wasn't for Lizzy, I don't know that I'd have succeeded in parenting Jet."

"I see you got the hang of it," I quipped as I took in his young brood. "Where is she now?"

Troy's smile widened, and it occurred to me that I'd never seen him this happy. "She's about to graduate from college. Berkeley."

"She's smarter than you?" I joked. "Jesus, Troy. You have a twenty-year-old daughter?"

"Twenty-one. She'll be home when she graduates. She'll need a job.

Maybe you can help-"

"Troy." Lizzy shook her head. "She doesn't want your interference." "She needs a job ASAP, so she'll stay down here. I don't want her going back north or, God forbid, heading back east to be with Tiana."

"How does Tiana fit in all this?" I asked, not sure if I was being too nosy. Troy scoffed. "She hasn't changed."

"Troy." Lizzy shook her head.

"I'm not supposed to speak badly of Tiana in front of the kids." He shrugged. "She's not bad, she's just... Tiana. You remember how she was." "Self-centered?" "Right."

"I never understood why you put up with her."

Lizzy laughed. "You've met her, right? Teenage boys don't care about character."

I laughed too when Troy blushed. Tiana was a looker back then. But I think Troy loved her and hated how she broke his heart. Then to learn that she had his kid and didn't tell him until she was eleven. That was harsh, even for Tiana. "Speaking of women,