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I felt a genuine smile spread across my face. “I’d like that. I think it’s time we all met.” I saw the relief on my father’s face as he nodded and grinned back at me.
As I glanced at Matthew, I knew that I was done waiting. We needed to tell my dad about us. It was time.
20
Ivy
I heard the doorbell ring and glanced over at Matthew, seeing his eyes widen in faux surprise. I couldn’t help but laugh. The fact that in just a matter of seconds I was about to meet my father’s girlfriend—his much younger girlfriend—left me a little on edge.
I was nervous, not so much of her age, but just the fact that he was actually seeing someone. In all the years since my mother had passed, I’d never seen him with another woman. So my anxiety was on those grounds, if I’d inadvertently feel some kind of resentment because she was “replacing” my mother.
Matthew and I stood and walked toward the foyer. I heard my father open the front door, could hear the lower rumble of his deep voice followed by the soft feminine pitch of hers. I felt Matthew’s big hand land in the center of my back. He moved his palm up and down along my spine, and I knew he was trying to comfort me, to let me know everything would be okay without saying the words.
“Ivy,” my father said from the foyer, loud enough for me to hear.
I looked up at Matthew and he gave me a smile. He leaned down and kissed me on the forehead and I closed my eyes and breathed out slowly. Although my father couldn’t see us, I knew if he had noticed it probably would’ve seemed less intimate than it really was.
“You got this,” Matthew said against my head and I nodded.
I broke away from him just as my father stepped around the corner. And then a second later I saw her.
She was beautiful, with bobbed blonde hair, side-swept bangs, and the biggest blue eyes I’d ever seen.
“Ivy, Matthew, this is Cora Lourdes.”
Cora smiled, her rosy red lips having a light glossy sheen to them.
“Hi,” she said in a melodic voice.
Matthew was the first to respond, holding out his hand and giving a gruff, “Hey, I’m Stephan’s brother.”
And then the room seemed to go quiet as I felt everyone’s gaze on me. It was as if they were waiting for me to give the okay, or maybe to freak out.
I saw the way he placed his hand on the small of her back, bringing her in close to his side. I didn’t miss the way she tipped her head back and looked into his face, the genuine smile and look of adoration in her expression.
“It’s really nice to meet you, Cora,” I finally said and held my hand out. She slipped her palm against mine. Then it was as if that tension in the room dissipated, as if it was gone as soon as it had arrived.
* * *
We’d just finished eating and the atmosphere in the dining room was easy, comfortable. We got to know Cora a little better, found out she was working toward completing her bachelors in nursing, and after that getting her masters as a nurse practitioner. She was driven and smart, funny and articulate.
I definitely could see why my father had been so drawn to her.
And the truth was, I hadn’t even thought about their age gap once. Maybe it was because of the age difference between Matthew and me, but I could truly see they cared about each other, and that outweighed anything else.
Matthew sat beside me and I felt his hand on my thigh. He gave me a reassuring squeeze. I looked over at him, the sound of my father and Cora talking drowning out everything else.
They were in their own little world, and I was in mine. My father and Cora probably didn’t even notice the little looks Matthew and I gave each other during dinner. And that was probably for the best.
We were still trying to decide how we were going to tell him about our relationship. Because every time I thought it was a good time, it just didn’t feel right, or I got too scared about how it would all go down.
Soon though, much sooner rather than later because I hated hiding this from him and being with Matthew behind his back. I wanted to be honest with my father, to show him how much I loved Matthew and he me. I wanted to show him, tell him, that it wasn’t wrong.
That it was right.
“You want to go out and get a drink?” I heard my father say to Cora and I glanced over at them, saw the way he had his chair pushed right up next to hers, had his arm wrapped around her shoulders.
