Their disaster of a marriage and wrenching divorce had proved Derek wrong. It seemed that just being a male Corwin was enough to set the curse in motion.
“Dad?” Holly tugged on his arm.
“Sorry, I was thinking about something.” He cleared his throat. “Why don’t you go find where they have these set up?”
She nodded and began to dart through the short stations and finally waved to him. “Found them!”
“Coming!” His life was different these days, he mused, watching his daughter practically hop up and down in excitement, waiting for him to join her.
He had less money but more time on his hands, which worked well since Holly would be staying with him for the summer.
He kept enough in savings to feel comfortable, but like the other men in his family, he now stopped short of building up wealth that could easily be lost. Life seemed simpler that way even if he did miss the adrenaline rush of taking risks and watching them pay off.
“Look for a package that says queen size,” he told Holly. “And then the pillow cases will probably say king or regular. We want regular.”
“I can’t believe you’re getting me these. I really can’t,” she said as she knelt down and began sorting through the sealed sheet sets.
A sharp pain sliced through his chest. “Hey, Holly? Why wouldn’t I want to buy these for you?”
She glanced up at him. “Promise you won’t be mad?”
He nodded. He couldn’t remember ever being truly angry at her. Then again, he’d worked so many hours a week, he hadn’t been home enough to get mad about anything. And during the past two years, he hadn’t had Holly for more than a short weekend or two, if he was lucky. He’d threatened to fight his ex over custody, but she always had a rational reason why Holly couldn’t come visit. A sleepover at a friend’s, a birthday party she couldn’t miss. It was as if Marlene was punishing him for not being there for her.
Only recently, after she’d gotten engaged to John Bartman, did she soften toward Derek. She’d fallen in love, and John treated her the way Derek should have. She’d finally declared a truce. That had given Derek more access to his daughter and he was grateful.
He smiled at Holly, who rose to face him.
“I promise I won’t get angry.”
Holly drew a deep breath. “Mom used to say that you hated giving her child support, that you considered spending your hard-earned money on me a waste.” She bit her bottom lip with her teeth and her eyes filled with tears.
The knife in his chest twisted deeper. While he wasn’t surprised Marlene had been so bitter, it infuriated him that she’d lie to his daughter about something so serious.
“Did Mom ever not buy you things you wanted or needed?” he asked.
She shook her head. “No! And she hasn’t said that in a really long time. But she did once and I couldn’t ever forget it.” Holly sniffed.
“I don’t have any tissues. Want to use this, instead?” Derek grinned and held out his sleeve.
She giggled. “Dad!”
He laughed. “Listen to me.” He took her small hand in his, overwhelmed by the connection between them. “I promise you I’m not angry,” he told her, squeezing her palm tighter in his. “I made a lot of mistakes with your mom. I’m upset that I made her so unhappy that she felt that way.” He struggled for the right words so it didn’t seem as if he was bashing her mother.
He and Marlene had come a long way.
“Let me make a few things clear to you right now. Number one, I love you. I didn’t walk out on you. Your mother and I agreed that me leaving was for the best. Your mom was angry at me for a lot of grown-up reasons, but that’s over now. I’m happy for her and John. Are you?”
Holly nodded. “He’s not bad. And Mom seems a lot happier now so that’s good.”
Derek exhaled, relieved she understood. Divorce wasn’t easy on kids. “So how about you and I start over? No assumptions, no misunderstandings. If you want something, ask. I reserve the right to say no if I think it’s bad for you, but it’ll always be out of love. Okay?”
His little girl, who at eleven looked much older, stood in front of him, merely staring.
“Do you understand what I said?” he asked, wanting to be clear.
She nodded and sniffed. “I think you said you want to buy me those sheets. You just used a long explanation to get there.” She shuffled from foot to foot, her excitement tangible. “Can I pick them out now?”
He laughed, and despite knowing better, he pulled her into a hug.