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Will and I exchange a glance. He’s thinking the same I am, clearly. He knows who it must be. Maisie barks angrily at the door, ever protective of me. But it’s Will who stands to open the door, squeezing my shoulder as he passes me.
“It’ll be okay,” he promises.
I watch him go. Watch him open the door silently and stare at the person at the door. Then, he steps aside quietly to allow them inside.
And for the first time since everything fell apart, I lay eyes on my dad.
Chapter Twenty
Will
Seeing Steve for the first time since he broke his daughter’s heart fills me with anger. Anger that burns through me so strong that I feel like I could explode. But I know for Elle’s sake that I have to stay calm. The fact that he’s here means he wants to build bridges, and that’s what she’s been praying for all along. So I let him step inside the apartment, even though he’s regarding me with coldness. I know this won’t be pretty, but it’s better than nothing.
Elle stands as her father lays eyes on her. Her lips are pursed. She seems angry, and who can blame her? He’s done nothing but hurt her. She would have done anything for him. She accepted when he moved on to a new life without her, taking what little attention he would give her. She was willing to be the person that looked after his place so he could go on vacation. She was willing to forgive him for how much he hurt her. But seeing her now, it’s almost like she’s past that. Like she’s decided she doesn’t want to be a part of his games anymore.
“Why are you here?” Elle asks, her voice quivering a little.
Steve takes a deep breath.
“I…I thought it was about time we talked.”
“Did you? Good for you. But you can’t just barge in here and expect that we want to see you,” she says, though her tone isn’t convincing. We all know she’s been waiting for this moment for a long time. She deserved an apology right off the bat, but she was never going to get it. Now she needs to decide if she wants to take or leave this right now.
“I’m sorry that I took a while to come here. I had a lot to think about,” Steve says quietly. “Please, Elle let's talk about this. I…I want to make things right between us.”
Elle folds her arms over her chest, looking wholly unimpressed. I think she’s half tempted to send him on his way, but that would hurt her as much as it would hurt him, most likely. After a few moments of hesitation, she lets out a huff and sits back down.
“I guess we can talk for a few minutes.”
I wait for Steve to take a seat opposite her before I join her on the couch, sliding my hand into hers. I watch Steve’s eyes take in our entwined hands and I know he’s still not happy about it. I can see it in his eyes. But when he looks up at his daughter, his face softens, and I know he’s really ready to fix this. Even if he has to push his true thoughts aside, he’s going to make everything okay.
“First of all…I know I took my time getting here, but I’m praying I’m not too late,” Steve says. He swallows. “The way I responded to what you told me, that was wrong. You opened your heart to me, Elle. You told me you’d fallen in love for the first time, that you were pregnant with your first child…and all I could focus on was my own opinions. I have to say, I have a hard time understanding this thing between the pair of you.”
“You’re not helping your case here,” Elle says bitterly, but Steve shakes his head, continuing.
“What I mean to say is I had a hard time at first. All I saw was the age gap between you. The fact that you’d only known each other for a few days coupled with the fact that my neighbor was dating my daughter and…had knocked her up. I think I was within my rights to be confused and distressed. But…but the thing about you staying next door is that I’ve had a lot of time to process while seeing your relationship unfold. I hear you laughing together all the time. I’ve never heard you laugh like that, Elle. And the fact that you’re still here shows me you really are committed. I didn’t realize that this was so important to you.”
“I tried to tell you. You wouldn’t listen,” Elle says bluntly.
He sighs and nods.
“You’re right. I didn’t listen when I should have. I let my own feelings take center stage. I put my emotions first. And that was wrong of me. I should have put myself in your shoes. I should have put my own thoughts aside and tried to just be happy for you. But I was stupid. And now that I’m here…well, I see how much hurt I caused. I see that I made some wrong decisions. I want to make it right if I can, but only if you want me to. I know that after how I acted, I don’t deserve your forgiveness. My only defense is that I care too much about you, darling. I care too much to see you get hurt.”
