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“Your dad told me about him. I’m so sorry, Liv. And about Jeremy. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you when you needed me most,” she says, reaching over to take my hand, but I yank it into my lap before she touches me.
“I never needed you.”
She flinches, and my dad drops his fork and turns to face me. “Liv, stop. She’s trying to apologize.”
I glare at him. “And I’m supposed to forgive twenty years of abandonment with one flimsy apology?”
“You have every right to be angry, Liv,” Barbara says. “But any apology I make won’t do anything if you won’t let it. I know your dad asked you to give me a chance for his sake, but you need to do it for yours. It’s going to take time, but it’s pointless if you don’t meet me halfway. Let’s start by being friends and see where it goes? We don’t have to rush anything. I love you, and I love your dad. I’m not going anywhere.”
My dad looks at me with those pleading eyes of his and I relent. He’s serious about her, and I’d never make him choose between us. I nod at her, and she smiles. “Thank you.”
We move on to dessert and I attempt to get to know her. We keep it light, not delving into uncomfortable territory. She tells me a hilarious story about how she walked around with her skirt tucked in her underwear all day. The same thing happened to me, and we cackle as we retell the tales of embarrassment. My dad is glowing by the time we say goodbye to them. He’s staying the night, so I hug him tight.
“Thank you, Livvie. This means so much to me,” he says into my hair. When we separate, his eyes are watery, and I decide to give this a real shot like he asked. Garrett hugs them both and then Barbara faces me, a hopeful grin on her face. I take a deep breath and hug her. She squeezes me tight. We separate with smiles, and I leave with Garrett.
“Rough start, but it ended well,” Garrett says as he starts the truck.
“Yea. John is going to hate this.”
He laughs and turns his head to back out of the space. “Yup.”
