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“Well, that part is true. It wasn’t mine, but it’s at the bottom of the ocean. In all the years I have spent sailing, I've never encountered this problem before. But a whale kept ramming the boat. I knew we were taking in water, but I didn’t want to let Venus know because she’d have panicked. So I did what I could and radioed for help. Which came and we were safe, but the boat was lost,” I explained.
“I have a lot of questions, but there is only one that I want answered now.”
“What is that?” I asked.
“Who is Venus? I don’t recall ever hearing that name before,” he said.
Shit. Had I said that out loud? I’d never mentioned a woman to either of my parents before. I knew if I did, they would be planning a wedding even though there wasn’t a bride.
“She’s a friend that I was sailing with,” I said. The word friend twisted in my gut. Yes, she was my friend, but so much more. I shouldn’t belittle what we had. It should be treasured. Venus didn’t need to give me a second chance, yet she did. She didn’t need to open up to me about her life and yet she let me in.And she didn’t need to trust me to make love to her, and yet she ended up showing me that I had it all wrong. That nothing before her could compare to the connection we share.
“Just a friend? Are you sure about that?” he questioned.
“That’s what I said.” I knew it was rude to speak to him like that, but I never liked being questioned, not even by my parents. It instantly put up my defenses. Thankfully, Dad knew and understood that about me.
Oddly enough, I didn’t have that reaction when Venus asked me the same question twice. Everything about her was different.Or maybe I’m just different when I’m with her. Who the hell knew. We were going to talk after I saw my mother, we had left it at that. But what was I going to tell her? It wasn’t like I was going to be able to rush back to be with her. I needed to be here. And she couldn’t put her life on hold for me to figure out what came next. That wasn’t fair to her.
An impossible situation no matter what I do. The two most important women in my life both need me, just in different ways.
“Okay. You’re just friends. It’s just the look on your face when you said her name was...different. You almost smiled as though just thinking about her makes you happy,” he stated. “But I guess I was wrong. She's just a friend.”
And I was wrong. You’re just as bad as Mom.
“Maybe more than a friend. But things are complicated. We can’t be together,” I stated. Dad’s eyes widened and I knew what he was thinking. “No. She’s not married or anything like that. It’s just us...”
“Us?” he prodded.
“She lives on the other side of the planet. If you think Mom hates me on the west coast, try that kind of distance. Mom would accuse her of stealing me away,” I tried joking, but we both knew it was true.
“Maybe she would want to come to the States. Maybe people do,” he replied. “But then again, be careful. You don’t want a woman who is only interested in the good ole USA, and not here for you,” he warned.
I shook my head. “She could be here if she wanted to. Her daughter lives in New York. And she lived in Canada before moving. So don’t worry, Dad. It has nothing to do with a green card.” I knew this was coming from Rian having worked on several immigration cases.
“That’s good. Now, tell me about her. What is she like?” he asked.
“How about you update me on Mom,” I suggested.
“The doctor hasn’t been back, so there is nothing new to tell.” He glared at me and then said, “You can tell me now or wait till your mother wakes up. I’m sure she’d love to hear all about Venus.”
“Dad, there’s not much to tell. We’ve dated a bit and I like her. That’s all.” Not even close to the truth. If he knew I would walk to the ends of the world for Venus, it would be all over.
Fuck, I miss her.
“You don’t see a future with her?” he questioned.
Of course, I did, but she’d made it clear that she didn’t want to be in the States. “We never talked about the future.”
“Are you going to see her again,” he asked.
I sure hope so. This is not how I pictured things ending. Actually, I never allowed myself to think of an end with her. I always knew that she would be in my life in some capacity, even if it meant me just watching over her.
Can’t go back to that. Not after what we’ve shared.
“As you mentioned, I belong here right now. This is where my focus is. On Mom,” I said firmly.
Mom stirred and Dad dropped the topic. “Honey, I’m right here. So is Declan. He’s home.”
She opened her eyes and even though her smile was faint, it was there. “You’re home,” she repeated.
