“Then that must have been a good conversation.”
“It went better than I thought it would. He didn’t apologize…not that I expected him to. I hoped it would happen, dreamed it would happen, but that will always be just a fantasy. My father is too proud to say those words…even if he should.”
“Then what did he say instead?”
He sighed before he answered. “That he loved my mother with everything he had…and losing her was agonizing. He wishes it’d been him instead of her. He lost sight of everything after she was gone, drowning in guilt and depression.”
“So it was an explanation.”
He shrugged. “I guess. He was difficult to talk to in the beginning. I got so angry with him that I stormed out. When he called my name, I didn’t even bother turning around. But then he told me he rigged the roulette so I would win…” His eyes fell to the floor, and he turned stony as he became lost in thought. He’d had to deal with the fear of his father despising him, and now he realized his father actually did care about him. It was a lot to soak in.
“He cares about you, Maverick. He just struggles to show it.”
“Yeah…I guess you’re right. I guess you’ve always been right.”
My hand moved to his back, and I gently rubbed his strong muscles, moving from the back of his shoulder down to his hips. Maverick never used to confide in me, but now were confidants to each other. “Did he say anything else?”
“It’s hard to look at Lily and me because he knows my mother misses us, would do anything to look at our faces every single day. He feels responsible for her death, so he pushes us away. It’s not right, but I get it.”
“Now that it’s been a few years and he’s lightened up, maybe he’ll change. Just the fact that you had this conversation indicates he’s changed.”
“I guess.”
My fingers moved into his hair next. “Do you feel better?”
After a long pause of indifference, he nodded. “Yeah…a bit. I really thought my father hated me.”
“He never did.”
“And I really thought he hated you, but I think he’s fond of you.”
My fingers left his hair then traveled down his arm until they returned to the bed. “I don’t think he ever wanted to kill me, but I don’t think he liked me much.”
“He respects you. That’s as close as you’ll get.”
“That’s interesting. I feel like all I’ve done is insult him.”
“That’s probably why he respects you. You aren’t afraid of him.”
“If he was someone I should be afraid of, I would be. Kamikaze terrified me. Your father was a wannabe bully. He was just a broken man who needed a wake-up call.”
“Then maybe he feels gratitude toward you.”
“Maybe,” I whispered. “I’m just glad the two of you could connect in some way. A father and son shouldn’t be this distant from each other. Sometimes resentment festers into rage and you forget you’re family…and you need help rectifying that situation. There are a lot of things I don’t like about your father, but when he told me what he did for you with Kamikaze, I knew he would do anything to protect you. It made me forgive him for the things he said to me, for the way he treated you. Sometimes it’s hard to forgive people who’ve wronged you, but you have to start somewhere.”
“I told him you forced me to go over there.”
“He probably assumed that on his own.”
He gave a faint chuckle. “Yeah.” It turned quiet as he stared at the floor, still reflecting on the conversation he’d had with his father.
“You think he’ll talk to Lily?”
“I’d be surprised if he didn’t. She’s the one who needs his support right now. By the way…I invited him for dinner.”
That was the moment I knew everything would be okay. It may not be perfect. There probably would be a lot of tense exchanges across the table and awkward stares, but at least we would all be together. It would never be perfect, and we couldn’t forget what happened in the past, but it would start to get better…slowly. “That’s great.”
“You don’t mind?”
“Not at all. I’m very happy he’s coming.”
“Even though he threatened to kill you so many times?”
“No. Those were empty threats. I have an extra box of chocolates, so I’ll give that to him as a present.”
“I’m sure he doesn’t expect anything.”
“Well, I can’t eat them. I’ve already eaten too many holiday treats already. And it’s the gesture that counts.”
He finally turned his gaze on me, his eyes softer than I’d ever seen them. His hand moved to my thigh, and he leaned in close to me, like he might kiss me. “Thank you for making this happen. Wouldn’t have been possible without you.”
I cupped my husband’s face and looked deep into his beautiful eyes. “I will always take care of you…just as you’ll always take care of me.”