He remained at the door but frowned. “What kind of video?”
She hesitated again. “It was a rap video. A friend of mines.”
He stared at her for a moment, his expression blank. Then, he dropped his head and chuckled. He stepped into the room and closed the door behind him.
Princess’s heart beat fast then. She just knew she was caught and prepared herself for the worse. He still smiled as he slowly walked around her room. He circled around her bed, then stopped at the desktop that was looping T.E.D’s video.
She held her breath. Her father squinted at the screen. “Well, which one is your friend?”
“Uh, . . . that one.” She pointed at Zay. “With the black hoodie.”
He looked closer, then formed a slow, amused curve across his lips. “Mm-hmm.”
He laughed under his breath and shook his head and folded his arms. “You love the bad boys, huh?”
She laughed nervously. “He’s not really a bad boy. He just . . . He’s been through some things. He’s actually a good one at heart.”
Her father turned and looked at her with adoration. Then he walked forward . . . and stood directly in front of the closet door.
Her heart dropped.
He stayed there for a moment, then leaned his shoulder against the wall and settled in for something serious.
“Look,” he began, voice low and warm, “I know you’ll be eighteen in August. I see you growing up. I know you think you’re grown.”
Princess smiled faintly. “I don’t think I’m grown.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Don’t lie.”
They both laughed quietly, and the tension eased just a bit.
“But I also know,” he continued, pausing as he chose his next words carefully. “I know all about boys. I’ve been one before. With your mother. I don’t even want to think about how they look at you. Or about how you look back.”
He paused again and glanced over the room—the soft lighting, the Bath & Body Works bottles neatly stacked across her dresser, the pink hoodie draped over the chair.
“I named you,” he said suddenly.
She blinked. “What?”
“I named you. Princess Love Melendez. Everyone said it was too much. Too long. Too dramatic. But I didn’t care.”
He leaned off the wall, walked to her bed, and sat right beside her. “You came out, and the second I saw you, I knew. You were my firstborn. My little girl. Myprincess. And you deserved to be loved like royalty. I wanted your name to say it before anyone else ever could.”
Princess swallowed hard, and her eyes burned a little with tears.
“You’ve always been precious to me. Still are. Always will be. I know I can’t protect you from everything. But if I can give you one piece of advice, it’s this.”
He shifted his body to face her fully.
“You’ll know when a boy is the right one. It won’t be through flowers or the little lies they tell to get close. It’ll be how you feel when they leave the room. How quiet everything gets when they’re gone. A good man won’t just pull you in—he’ll make you feel safe. He’ll make you want to be better. Not perfect, but better.”
She stared at him. She didn’t speak, but she took it all in.
Because every word he spoke in that moment felt like it had described how she felt about Zay. The way her body calmed when he was around. The way he showed up even when he had nothing. The way she saw the world differently when he was in it. How she wanted more just because he inspired her to believe she could have it.
She realized then, in that moment, that she loved him.
Her father opened his arms and pulled her into a hug. She sank into it.
