35. Lark

Chapter thirty-five

Lark

Wednesday, April 2, 2025

“ W e’re still going to Gloria’s for book club, right?” I ask my best friends as they head off to work.

“Yep, I love Gloria! I want her to be my new mommy, honestly.” Kira laughs.

“Same, she’s incredible. She and I have actually been working on some new merch designs for the last couple of weeks,” Madison pipes up.

“Ah, I see you’re digging those old graphic design skills out of the depths of your brain,” I tease.

“I am, and I kind of love it, honestly.”

“That’s great, Mads. I’m glad you’re picking that up again. You were also so good at it,” Jade encourages.

“Thanks, Jade,” she tells her, then turns to face Kira and me. “We should head out though. I can’t be late since it’s just me today. ”

I walk them out, my heart feeling full from the night spent with some of my favorite people.

***

“Hey, Daddy-O, are you free for dinner tonight?” I ask my dad as I head out of the clinic. For once, I’m actually getting out early.

“For you? Always, little bird. Takeout or do you wanna meet somewhere?” he asks me, sounding excited for some quality time together.

“Mind if I grab the dogs and head to your place? We can do dinner at the house with whatever you want,” I tell him as I get into my car, buckling my seatbelt.

“Sounds like a plan. See you soon, and Lark?”

“Yeah, Dad?”

“I love you, kiddo,” he tells me, and it fills my heart to the brim. I have the best dad.

“I love you too, Daddy-O. I’ll be there soon.”

***

“Okay, that was so not fair!” I shout at my dad, tossing a fry at his face. He catches it, popping it into his mouth as he chuckles beside me on the couch. Tiny watches us with rapt attention, hoping for a morsel to drop on the floor for him.

“Hey, last I checked, you didn’t mind watching the Divine Flyers play! Besides, I’ve seen how you stare at De Laurentiis’s ass the whole game.” My wide eyes meet his, and I’m full of surprise that he not only noticed, but called me out on it. Though I shouldn’t be, he’s always been perceptive of every move I make.

“Dad,” I whine, covering my face with my hands. “Why’d you have to make it awkward?” I say, slouching back against the couch cushions.

He leans back beside me, his body vibrating with a laugh. “I’m just calling it like I see it. And ever since you passed out on my field? That surly man has been a hell of a lot happier when you’re on the sidelines. That’s for sure. I’m actually pretty certain I’ve never seen a genuine smile out of the guy until now.”

I roll my eyes at that. I’ve been watching the Divine Flyers games since I was a kid. I wasn’t able to attend the games while away for school, of course, and since opening the clinic, it’s been nearly impossible. Though, I’ll admit that I’ve been making more of an effort to actually go these days, and yes, that’s largely because of Gianni, but I wouldn’t say I’ve had any impact on him. “You’re seeing what you wanna see.” I scoff, mostly joking.

“Lark,” he says in a more serious tone that drags my attention to him. “That man is signing autographs and staying late, almost missing our buses after every away game just to make sure he gets to every single kid in the stands. Something’s changed for the better, and I wouldn’t be upset if it were you.”

His words hit me like a ton of bricks. Gianni’s been staying behind to interact with his fans?

“Well,” I say, my eyes cast downward to my lap, where I’m picking at my cuticles. “I don’t think it’d be a bad thing either.”

When I look up to meet his eyes, he has a small smile spread across his face. “From what I know of that family, they’re good people, and I think Gianni’s a good person too. He seems to have a lot of demons he’s battling, but so did your mom, and she was the love of my life.”

A wave of sadness washes over us. I scoot closer to him, wrapping my arms around his shoulders, and he envelops me in a hug. “She was the best person I knew, but she didn’t know how to be better for herself. Everything she did was for us. I don’t say that to deter you, but just be careful, okay? I think you could be good for him, and maybe he could be the kind of man who puts you first, but if things don’t work out, I don’t want you to blame yourself if he does something—” He chokes out the last words. “If he does something to hurt himself.”

My heart sinks to my toes, even considering the possibility of that happening. He releases me from the vice grip he had on me. “I’ll be careful, Dad,” I promise him.

“I’m proud of you, my little bird.” He turns his attention back to the screen. “Maybe tonight’s an Encanto night instead?”

His words have the desired effect, and a laugh bubbles out of me. This man loves Encanto. “Sounds like a plan,” I tell him, pulling Rex into my lap and turning my attention to the TV.