And for some reason, she didn’t like him from the start.
Ava noticed him.
Initially, I thought it was normal.
I chalked it up to teenage blues, maybe loyalty to her dad, or perhaps fear that someone new would change our lives.
But then she started acting differently.
She stopped hanging out in the kitchen after school. Ava also wasn’t watching movies with us on Friday nights.
If she heard his truck pull into the driveway, she suddenly had homework or something else to do upstairs.
Teenagers don’t exactly welcome change.
But deep down, I knew my daughter wasn’t just acting moody; she was watching and studying Ryan carefully.
As if trying to figure something out.
Then she started acting differently.
***
One night, Ryan came over with takeout from Ava’s favorite burger place.
Normally, she would’ve been excited. Instead, she grabbed her food and disappeared upstairs without even thanking him.
Ryan watched her leave, then looked at me.
“Did I do something wrong?”
“No,” I said quickly. “She’s still adjusting.”
I had different excuses.
She misses how things used to be.
She’ll come around, eventually.
But the truth was, my daughter had never acted that distant with anyone before, not even Donald after the divorce.
I had different excuses.
***
A few nights later, after Ryan left, Ava stood quietly in my bedroom doorway, twisting the sleeve of her hoodie while I folded laundry. I immediately became uneasy.
“Mom,” she said softly, “please don’t let him move in.”
I stopped folding towels and sighed.
“Ava, you barely know him.”
“I know enough.”
The way she said it made me wary.
“What does that mean?”
She looked down at the floor.
