Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 117177 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 586(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117177 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 586(@200wpm)___ 469(@250wpm)___ 391(@300wpm)
He nodded, taking a step toward me. “I know you’re right about all of that. I knew the night you came to the house. Your mother and I have been so unbelievably selfish with you, Hallie, and I recognized that. I was just . . . it was just easier to be angry at you once Miranda walked out than to deal with the fact that I had damaged my relationship with my daughter so badly.”
“I’m sorry about Miranda.”
Pain flickered in Dad’s eyes. “I love her, but she was right. You were right. I wasn’t myself with her. I was trying so hard to be someone else, someone your mother hadn’t destroyed, that I lied about so many things.” He scrubbed a hand down his face.
“Did you tell Miranda all of this?”
“She didn’t want to hear it.”
“She didn’t want to hear it in that moment. Maybe she’ll want to hear it now.”
Dad huffed. “Even now you’re being kind to me. I don’t deserve you, Hallie.”
I took a tentative step toward him. “Dad, Mom’s right. I will always love you. And as long as you keep me out of the toxic relationship between you and Mom, you and I will be okay.”
“Toxic?” He raised an eyebrow.
I nodded somberly. “Yeah, Dad, I realize now that it is pretty toxic. And it damaged your self-esteem. If it hadn’t, you wouldn’t have felt the need to buy that house and pretend to be something you weren’t for Miranda.”
The bleakness in his eyes turned into something more pensive. “I sold the house.”
“You did?”
He nodded. “Got something more affordable back in Newark.”
“Dad.” I touched his arm. “Miranda loved you. Not the house.”
He gave me a sad smirk. “I think Alison liked me better for that pool though.”
“Alison is a spoiled brat and could do with a few less pools in her life.”
Dad gave a bark of laughter. “You’re not wrong.” His smile died as he studied my face. “I am so sorry for taking you for granted. It shouldn’t have taken your mother reaming me out for me to see that. Can you forgive me, Hallie?”
The tears welled up before I could stop them as I nodded, pinching my lips to stop the sob from breaking out.
“Oh, Cupcake.” He pulled me into his arms, and I melted into my dad’s familiar embrace. “I am so damn sorry for hurting you.” His voice hitched with emotion. “I’m going to do my best to make it up to you, okay?”
I nodded, still unable to speak through my tears.
My body shook with the force of my relief. It wasn’t until that moment that I realized how heavy my estrangement from my dad had been weighing on my heart.
* * *
My dad left a little while later, and we’d made plans for Chris and me to visit him in a few weeks once he settled into his new house. He’d also come by to check on me, to make sure I was okay after our relationship was outed online, and I told him a little about Chris. Seeing how happy I was, Dad seemed to relax about the whole thing.
It was difficult to concentrate on work after that, but I had a tour of venues with a client today, which kept me focused. I texted Chris in between to tell him about Dad’s visit, promising him I’d fill him in later.
However, I had one thing still to do before I left the office that night.
Sitting on my desk, staring out the window to the street chock-full of people and vehicles during rush hour, I listened to my cell ring out.
On the fifth ring, my mom picked up. “I wondered when you’d finally call.”
Pushing down my irritation with her, I replied, “Dad paid me a visit today. Thank you for what you said to him.”
Mom sighed. “Hallie, none of us are perfect, but, except for the last few weeks, you’re a good kid and your father treated you unfairly.”
Though it was beyond nice to hear her say that, I pushed past the sudden pounding in my chest to say, “I can’t be a part of your lives again if you’re going to keep me in the middle of this war between you. I spent my whole life in the middle, Mom. I can’t do it anymore.”
She was silent so long I repeated, “Mom?”
“I’m here.” Her sigh crackled the line. “While I think calling it a war is a little dramatic, I can agree to leave you out of it. Not that there’s anything to be in anymore. I need to move on, and so does your dad. The toilet-paper incident made me realize how damn crazy it had gotten. And while I do think you should have picked up when I called you, I heard about what you said to your dad, and I know it was directed at both of us. And you’re not wrong. We’ve been selfish. It’ll stop. Anyway, your dad and I are holding on to stuff that doesn’t even exist now.”