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“Well,” he said before taking a drink. “I also believe every time Harley came into town, you had some excuse to leave. She stopped by the house a few times, never told your mother and me what really happened, but we certainly saw the pain in her eyes and the regret in her voice.”
“Yeah, she said she wanted to tell me before anyone else. She never even told her parents the truth until recently. Also said it wasn’t something she wanted to leave on a voicemail. Not that I listened to them anyway.”
I stood up and scrubbed my hands down my face and cursed under my breath.
“Fuck.”
Turning back to face my father, I shook my head. “All those years we wasted because she didn’t trust that I knew what I wanted.”
“What prompted her to make up the fake love interest?”
Dragging in a breath, I told my father everything.
“So, she lied about this guy because she knew you would follow her and you were certainly not going to let her break up with you.”
“Yes, sir. That’s what she did.”
“You did tell me that day, son, you didn’t want to do what Harley wanted. Would you have?”
I shrugged. “I guess I would have. I mean, at the time, I would have followed her to the end of the world if it meant she was happy.”
“Tripp, would that have made you happy?”
I looked my father in the eyes, wanting him to help me out of this mess, not wanting him to make me doubt my feelings for Harley.
“Dad…” A sigh spilled out.
Leaning forward, my father placed his forearms on his knees and shot me a serious look. Like his life depended on the next words out of my mouth.
“Why do you think Harley was afraid to tell you what she wanted to do?”
My breath caught in my throat. I knew where he was going with this. “Because I always talked about my dreams as if they were hers.”
“And why do you think she never said anything?”
With a harsh laugh, I threw my hands up in the arm. “Fucked if I know, Dad.”
“She didn’t tell you, son, because she didn’t want to ruin your dreams. When she finally mustered the courage to tell you, she overheard our conversation. She didn’t want you to resent her for making you leave.”
“That’s the thing! She wasn’t making me do anything. I offered to do it. I mean, it was a few years away. I still had law school and she still had vet school. She made a choice for both of us, Dad, without thinking, without trusting that my love for her was enough.”
Leaning back, he nodded. “You’re right. She did. Sort of like your brother, Steed, when it came to Paxton. Or Mitchell when it came to Corina. We make mistakes, and sometimes we live with the regret of that mistake. Now I’m not excusing what she did, but I’m also saying you need to see that she tried to make it up to you, and you’re to blame for the separation all these years.”
My jaw dropped. “Me! How in the hell am I to blame for this, Dad?”
His brow lifted. “If you don’t know the answer to that, nothing I say matters. You’re better off moving on and forgetting about Harley. You seem to be somewhat happy with Mallory.”
I swallowed hard. Forget about Harley. Is that something I can even do? I honestly don’t think that after almost ten years it’s even a possibility.
Sinking into the leather chair, I let out a defeated breath. “I don’t know what to do. For once, I met a woman I enjoy being with. And Harley comes back into town and messes with my head. I pretty much told her yesterday I was done with her. That I had nothing left to say to her.”
“Did you mean it?”
I focused on the large painting on the wall behind him. My mother had painted it years ago and had given it to my father on their first anniversary. It was my father on a horse smiling down at my mother. She said she knew the moment she saw him she was madly in love. My mother believed in one true love, and that no matter what the problem, love would overcome.
My muscles tensed, and I cut my eyes over to my father. “I don’t know. Maybe at the time I said it I meant it. Now I’m not sure what to think.”
“Tripp, I think you came here with the hope and expectation that I would tell you which woman to pursue. I can’t tell you that. You’re going to have to decide on your own. Sounds like you told Harley things would never be the same, and like I said, you must care about Mallory or you wouldn’t be conflicted. Only you can find the answers.”
