The Rules of Dating

Stepping off the elevator, I found Maya waiting outside my apartment door. She smiled. I frowned. Two-and-a-half weeks had passed since the Stokes hearing, yet I still felt a shock whenever I got home and saw her face and not Billie’s. I dug my keys from my pocket. “Are you waiting for me?”

“Yeah, I was hoping we could talk for a few minutes.”

“Is everything okay with Saylor?”

She nodded. “I didn’t go in because I was waiting for you, but I can hear her laughing with the sitter.”

“Okay.” I shrugged. “Well, what’s up?”

She nodded toward the emergency stairwell door diagonally across from my place. “Do you mind if we talk in there? I don’t want them to overhear us.”

“Sure.”

Maya and I stepped into the stairwell. She took a seat on the top step and patted the empty space next to her. I reluctantly sat down.

“I heard from my lawyer an hour ago…”

I froze. “And?”

She sighed. “He didn’t know the outcome, but apparently a decision has been made on our case. The friend he has in that office saw an envelope addressed to us in the outgoing mail. She looked up our names in their database, and the status had changed from In Review to Closed. But their system records every user who goes in and out of electronic files, so she didn’t want to open the case.”

“Okay… Well, I guess we only have a day or two until we find out at least.”

Maya nodded and looked down. She was quiet for a long time before speaking again. “My lawyer said once a case has a final determination, there’s no longer a risk of the investigator coming around. It’s against procedure for them to do a home visit or anything like that once a case is closed. So I’ll move out tomorrow morning, if that’s okay?”

“Oh…yeah. That’s fine.”

She twisted her body and faced me. “Listen, Colby, I know I’ve said it before, but I’m really sorry for everything I’ve put you through. There’s no excuse for the things I’ve done, but it was definitely easier when I didn’t know you and Saylor. In my head, I justified my actions. You were just some guy who trolls strip clubs and brings home whatever vulnerable woman is willing to come with him—a user. So why not use you back?” She sighed. “But you are nothing like the person I made up in my head.”

I ran a hand through my hair. “Maybe a part of me was that person when we met. But whoever I was changed the minute my daughter came into my life.” I shook my head. “You’ve apologized more than once, yet I never have. It wasn’t like I went back to the club where you worked in the weeks after we hooked up to see if you wanted to go out to dinner. So maybe I was a user. And for that, I’m sorry. I would never want a man to treat Saylor that way.”

Maya’s eyes filled with tears. “The fact that you could apologize to me after everything I’ve done speaks volumes about who you are. Saylor is so lucky to have you for a father.”

“Thank you. That means a lot.”

“She’s a special little girl, Colby. I don’t need to tell you that. And so much of that has to do with the example you set every day. So many parents tell their kids to be kind and then show them something very different with their own behavior. But you don’t say empty words—you show your daughter the right way to live. Heck, she’s not even here to know how you’re acting right now, yet you apologized to me and showed me more kindness than I deserve.” A tear rolled down Maya’s cheek. “I wish I could have been a mother to her. I really do. But I could never trust myself.”

I’d always thought Maya left because she was selfish, but maybe I’d been looking at it wrong. “Over the years, I’ve thought about what I might say when Saylor eventually asks about her mother. I could never come up with a response that wouldn’t hurt her. But I think I have one now.”

Maya wiped her tears. “What?”

“When she asks, I’ll explain that sometimes walking away isn’t a selfish act, but a selfless one, that her mother loved her enough to want a better life for her than she felt she could provide.”

“Thank you.” She sniffled. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

I nodded toward the door. “I should go relieve the sitter.”

“Could I…ask you for a big favor?”

I raised a brow with a smirk. “You mean another big favor?”

Maya laughed. “Yes, definitely.”

I stood and offered a hand to help her up. “What do you need?”

“Could I possibly take Saylor for ice cream tonight? Just the two of us?”

I might’ve found a way to accept what Maya had done, but I wasn’t sure I was ready to trust her that much…

When I didn’t immediately answer, she nodded. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but it wouldn’t take more than an hour. When I was a little girl, my mom worked two jobs. There were four of us kids, and we didn’t get to see her that much, but every Sunday afternoon, she took one of us out for ice cream alone. I can’t tell you how much I looked forward to those once-a-month dates with her. I always imagined I’d have children of my own someday, and I’d keep up the tradition of taking each of them for ice cream alone.”

Fuck, it was hard to say no when she explained it. “Where would you take her?”

“There’s that cute little ice cream shop right down the block. I pass it all the time. I think it’s called Coyle’s?”

Coyle’s was only five or six buildings down. She wouldn’t even have to cross a street… “And you won’t say anything to her about who you are?”

“Oh God, of course not. I wouldn’t do anything to confuse or hurt her.”

“You’ll be back in an hour?”

“I promise.”

Even though it freaked me out, I nodded. “Okay. But please be back in an hour.”

Maya wanted to wait a few minutes for the blotchiness on her face to fade, so I went into the apartment first. The sitter was gone by the time she came in, and when she appeared, Saylor ran to her.

“Hi, Maya! I’m learning how to line dance at school. You want to see?”

“I’d love to. I’ve never line danced myself.”

“I can teach you!”

For the next ten minutes, Saylor counted steps as she moved side to side, and back and forth. Maya followed along like a good student. Watching them was the first time I second-guessed myself about whether keeping Maya’s true identity from my daughter was the right thing to do. But then I remembered Maya hadn’t even asked to keep in touch with me after she left tomorrow. She wasn’t interested in keeping tabs on how Saylor was doing. Whether she had good reason or not, she didn’t plan on being in my daughter’s life.

When they were done dancing, Maya knelt down. “That was so much fun. But dancing really made me warm. You know what I think we should do to cool off?”

“What?”

“Go get ice cream after dinner.”

Saylor jumped up and down. “Can we, Dad? Can we go get ice cream with Maya?”

“I have some work to do, sweetheart. But how about if Maya takes you?”

“Okay!”

Forty-five minutes later, I was completely tense watching the two of them walk out the door hand in hand. I stepped out into the hall as they headed to the elevator. “It’s only going to take an hour, right?”

Maya turned and smiled. “Yes. We’ll be back in a little while.”

I waited until they disappeared from sight before going back into my apartment. I decided to take a hot shower, maybe put the showerhead setting on massage and see if I could get the knot in the back of my neck to loosen up.

It helped a little. But I’d been so preoccupied with letting Saylor go out with Maya that I forgot I’d never restocked the bathroom with towels after doing laundry. So I creaked open the door while I dripped all over the floor.

“Saylor? Are you here?”

No response.

“Maya?”

Silence.

Using the shirt I’d worn to work today, I at least covered my junk before darting to the laundry room. I grabbed a towel out of the dryer and wrapped it around my waist. But as I walked out of the room, I realized something looked different. It took me a minute to figure out what it was.

The top of the dryer is empty.

Maya’s big suitcase had been stashed there for weeks, since the first day she’d moved in. An ominous feeling came over me, but I reminded myself she was leaving in the morning. She’d probably come home earlier today and brought it into her room to start packing.

Yeah, that’s why it’s missing. Still, I ran to the guest room to check.

My heart stopped when I opened the door. All of Maya’s shit was gone. She’d had crap piled on top of the dresser for weeks, and now it was completely empty. But I was in denial, so I ran to the drawers and yanked every single one open, praying to God she’d just tidied up. But they were all empty, as were the nightstands and closet. And there was no sign of her suitcase either. Then I noticed something in the middle of the bed. It was a letter, typed and folded. I grabbed it, and my heart sank finding US Citizenship and Immigration Services at the top of the paper. The letter was dated last week.

DECISION

Thank you for submitting your Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) under section 204(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).

After a thorough review of your application and supporting documents and testimony, unfortunately, we must inform you that we are denying your application for the following reasons:

1. Inconsistent testimonies given at interview

2. Insufficient evidence of a bona fide relationship

3. Adverse information gathered in USCIS’ investigation, including home visit

My head spun so fast that the letters on the rest of the page became jumbled even though my eyes kept scanning—the words fraud and deportation in the last paragraphs were clear as fucking day.

What the fuck? Why did Maya tell me she didn’t know what decision had been made if she already had the letter? When the answer hit me, I ran to the bathroom and lost my lunch in the toilet.

I held open the front door to my fucking apartment so she could walk out with my daughter and never come back.

I yanked on clothes and ran out the door, sprinting down sixteen flights of stairs. The shirt I’d grabbed from the bathroom floor was inside out, my hair was still dripping from the shower, and I hadn’t bothered with socks before jamming my feet into my dress shoes. But none of that mattered. Only getting to the ice cream shop did.

Running at full speed down the Manhattan street at the tail end of rush hour wasn’t an easy task. I knocked into or shoved a dozen people as I raced my way to the store. Whipping the door open when I arrived, I scanned the room for Saylor.

“Table for one?” The hostess lifted a menu. “Would you like to sit at the counter?”

“Have you seen a little girl with blond hair…about four and a woman with long, dark hair in her mid-twenties?”

The woman’s brows pulled together as she glanced around the ice cream parlor. There were a half-a-dozen tables with people, none of which had my little girl.

“I don’t see anyone who looks like that.”

“Did anyone like I described leave recently?”

She shook her head. “I’ve been here since three. I don’t think so.”

Fuck.

Fuck.

Fuuuuuuck!

I ran back out to the street and looked right and left. Where the hell did I go now? This city had eight-million people, and it felt like they were all blocking my view at the moment. Maya could have taken her anywhere! Where the fuck did I even start to look?

Think.

Think.

Think.

If I needed to get out of town undetected, how would I do it?

Maya wouldn’t want to fly because she was here illegally. She’d be too afraid of getting caught by security at the airport. She also didn’t have a driver’s license to rent a car.

Then it hit me. The bus depot was only about three blocks away. So I ran toward it. Of course, just like the rest of the damn city, it was packed. I frantically weaved in and out of people, but there was no sign of either of them anywhere. Unsure what the hell to do next, I whipped out my phone to enlist the help of my friends. We could split up the city and check more places.

Holden didn’t answer, so I left a message. “I need your help! Maya took Saylor! Call me back!”

Then I dialed Owen. My damn call went straight to voicemail. Fuck.

My fingers shook as I searched through my contacts for Brayden’s number. But before I could hit enter, my phone buzzed with an incoming call.

Billie.

I swiped to answer.

“I can’t talk. Maya took Saylor!”

“I know. She brought her here.”

“What?”

“She’s here with me at the shop, Colby. That’s why I’m calling. I thought it was strange. Maya just showed up two minutes ago with her, handed me a letter to give you, and told me to take good care of Saylor.”

My heart pounded. “Saylor’s okay?”

“Yes, Colby. She’s fine. What’s going on?”

I leaned over with my hands on my knees to catch my breath. “Holy shit. Thank God.”

“You’re scaring me. What happened?”

“I’m not sure. But I’ll be there in two minutes. Just don’t let Saylor out of your sight, please.”

“I won’t.”

Even though Saylor was apparently safe, I ran the entire way to the tattoo shop. When I walked into the back, my little girl’s eyes lit up. “Daddy!”

I wrapped her in my arms so tight. “Where did you go, sweetheart?”

“Maya took me for ice cream.”

“At Coyle’s?”

She shook her head. “No. The ice cream man was parked outside, and I wanted a cone with sprinkles.”

I pulled back and looked her up and down. There was a giant brown spot on her shirt. “I guess you got chocolate.”

She nodded.

I pulled her to me once again, hugging her tightly.

Saylor laughed. “You’re acting weird, Daddy.”

I took a deep breath before releasing her. “Sorry. I missed you, that’s all.”

Deek, whom I hadn’t even noticed in the room until now, walked over. “Hey, kiddo. We just got some new glow-in-the-dark paints. How ’bout you paint your name and then we’ll turn off the lights in the bathroom and check it out?”

My daughter’s eyes grew wide. “Can I, Daddy?”

“Of course, baby.”

Billie waited until they were out of earshot. “What the heck happened? You sounded unhinged on the phone.”

I took a deep breath. “I was unhinged. I thought Maya took Saylor.”

“Why would you think that?”

I explained everything—from talking to Maya in the stairwell to finding her room empty with the determination letter from Immigration on the bed.

“Why did she lie to you, only to bring her here?”

“I have no damn idea.”

Billie held up her pointer. “Here, she gave me this. Maybe whatever’s inside will make sense of it all.”

I stared at the envelope for a moment before ripping it open.

Dear Colby,

The day I showed up at your door with Saylor, I was so worried I couldn’t give my little girl a good life. But it turned out I gave her the best life ever with you, where she belongs. I’m so thankful you’re her father. If I learned one thing from you over the last few months, it’s that words don’t mean anything—it’s actions. Your example has shown me what sacrifice, family, and love mean, and it’s about time I owned up to the mess I’ve made.

Today I mailed a sworn affidavit to Officer Weber at Immigration. In it, I detailed all of my actions, including blackmailing you into marrying me or risk sharing custody of a child with a woman who had nothing but bad intentions. I hope it clears you of any charges the officer decides to bring. I’ve also left pre-signed, no-fault divorce papers with my lawyer.

Tonight I’m flying back to Ecuador to accept accountability for my mistakes. I will participate in the open investigation of the drowning since I left before it could be completed. If I’m lucky enough that I’m allowed to keep my freedom, I hope to work on salvaging my relationship with my family.

Take care of our little girl.

Always,

Maya

I blinked a few times.

“What does it say?” Billie asked.

Still shell-shocked, I handed her the letter. She read and shook her head. “So that’s it? Maya’s gone?”

I shrugged. “I guess so.”

“What do we do now?”

I had no idea what was going to happen with Immigration or the divorce, but I absolutely knew what needed to be done in this moment. I wrapped my arms around Billie and pulled her to me.

“This.” I pressed my lips to hers. “This is what we do from now on…”