Without even looking up my dad asks me if everything he’s heard is true.
I look over to Carter, who nods in support, willing me to tell my own truth.
“It is Daddy. I love Carter, I’ve always loved him and now he’s asked me to marry him,” I tell them both, watching Carter's mouth grin with pride before he mouths the words I love you.
I should go to him, but I sit down next to my dad, putting my arm around his shoulders, lifting his face up to meet mine.
His tears have stopped, but he looks shattered.
Beaten.
“It’s not a contest daddy. Carter can give me a life, a new life with a family… our family,” I remind him.
Carter flushes with pride again, sensing what we both already know.
“I won’t have you sleeping with my daughter under my roof,” My dad says to Carter, finally summoning the composure he’s probably wanted all along.
Carter nods, and I do too. It’s a fair comment. It is his house after all.
Dad sighs heavily.
“But I won’t deny my only daughter happiness, love, and the life she deserves either,” he adds, looking from me to Carter.
“If there is one man I’d trust to have my daughter, to care for her, support her and give her the love and respect she deserves, it would be you, Carter.”
I watch Carter’s expression change and feel my own doing the same.
I can’t believe what I’m hearing.
“Don’t misunderstand me, either of you,” he adds forcefully, “I’m not exactly doing fucking cartwheels over here. But if you’re both sure this is what you want. If you know in your heart that Carter’s the one for you, Serena… What kind of a man… What kind of dad would I be if I tried to come between that?”
There’s a long silence. And as much as I know dad’s hurting, I know we all feel a lot of relief too that it’s finally out in the open.
There’s nothing to hide anymore.
“So, what now?” I ask, choosing to be the first one to speak.
“What about your work dad? Won’t you get in trouble if you’re-”
“I’ll go back, sweetie. I just had to come home. To see for myself because I didn’t want it to be true, even though I thought it most probably was,” he tells me, patting his hand over mine before kissing my forehead.
“We don’t have to stay here,” Carter says, sounding diplomatic and looking to me for agreement.
“We can go to a ton of places until we find a place,” he offers, making my dad wince.
“I’d like my daughter to stay at home, Carter. I want you both to give this more time before leaping into anything that’s too hard to undo,” My dad retorts, sounding like he’s going back on what he’s already said, but sighing again, launching himself back in his seat as he shakes his head.
After taking a minute to collect himself again, he gets up and goes for the front door.
I follow him, Carter stays put.
“Just do what’s right for you, honey,” Dad advises me, opening the front door and stepping out.
I reach for him, but I know him well enough. He’ll walk for a while then he’ll call a car and go back to his job, then he’ll dissolve himself in work until he forgets.
Until he’s forgotten today and how much it hurt.
Then we can start over as Carter and Serena, not just Serena his daughter.
“I’ll be alright honey, you call me if you need anything. Alright?” he says, a silver line under one eye as I hug him goodbye, closing the door gently but still feeling more relief than anything.
Carter holds me once I go back into the lounge, asking me if I’m gonna be alright.
“We’ll be fine, like you said,” I tell him. “It was never gonna be easy, but at least now he knows. Now we can get on with us?” I ask, looking up.
So glad to see him smile as one hand moves down to stroke my belly as he leans in to kiss me.
“All of us, Serena. The whole family,” he whispers.
Epilogue
Six Months Later
Carter
“Well. I’d just feel better if you got it looked at,” I tell her, trying and failing to hide my obsessive concern for her.
It’s been a crazy few months, with her dad being made Vice President of the company he works for, meaning he’s not just out of town, he’s out of the state a lot.
We’ve stayed in her old place with Greg’s final blessing once he saw the ring and the wedding date. Our own place should be finished being built by the time we get back from our honeymoon.
But it’s Serena’s ankle that’s worrying me.
Since that tumble she took in Vermont she’s always favoring the other and I know she’s in pain when she tells me she’s not.
But today’s the limit and we have nothing else to do.