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“Dylan, that’s not fair.” She reached up touching my shoulder in a comforting gesture.
I scoffed, taking my eyes away from my daughter that already owned my heart.
“Half-Pint, do I look like I’m in the mood to be fucked with right now?”
She put her hand on her hip, cocking her head to the side. “Dylan Anthony McGraw, you need to take a step back and realize that I’m not like the boys and I won’t take your crap. You’re better than this. Aubrey has been through hell—”
“And what about me, Alex, what I have been through?” I countered.
“I know. Trust me, I know. But Aubrey has done nothing but try to make amends with you and everyone that she’s hurt. It’s taken her a long time to get to this point in her life. She’s come such a long way, and I won’t let you ruin that for her.”
“Well, I’ll be damned, Half-Pint. Here I thought you were my friend.”
“You know I am. But if you don’t forgive her, Dylan, then you’re never going to be able to move on. Aubrey spent ten years of her life unable to forgive herself and it got her nowhere. This vicious cycle needs to end. For everyone’s sake, especially your daughter’s.”
“She has nothing to do with this.”
“She has everything to do with this. She lost ten years with her mom and sixteen with her dad. You think that girl wants to see her parents’ fighting? See her dad hating her mom? Do you think that’s fair to her!” she yelled, pointing to Giselle.
I jerked back, opening my mouth to say something, but quickly shut it.
“Exactly,” she simply stated, saying it for me.
“Half-Pint, I’m not like you. I can’t forgive and forget that easily.”
“Dylan, don’t you think I know that? Lucas put me through hell, but at the end of the day I always knew he loved me. There was never a question about that. I forgave him because I couldn’t live without him. After all this time, after everything you guys have been through. Can you honestly look me in the eyes and say you can live without her?”
“I don’t know who I am anymore, Alex. Me. Of all people, you have to know how hard that is for me. I lost everything. Everything that’s ever meant anything to me because of her. I don’t know how to move past the fact that she ruined my entire life in a matter of seconds.”
She frowned. “Dylan, she lost everything, too. Don’t you see that? You need to give her a chance to explain. You owe her at least that much.”
“I owe her absolutely nothing. Not one fucking thing, Half-Pint.”
“See, that’s where you’re wrong. She’s the mother of your child. You owe her everything.”
I stood there shocked as shit. I never thought about it that way. Before I could contemplate more, I felt someone walking up to us, and I didn’t have to wonder who it was.
I turned to face my daughter for the first time in sixteen years. I actually fucking gasped at the sight of her. She was breathtakingly beautiful, exactly like her mother, except she had my eyes. She had freckles on her face and bright blonde hair from the sun. She wore a black bikini that I would be burning and never allowing her to wear again. She was shaped just like her mom.
She nervously smiled. “You probably don’t know who—”
“I know who you are, darlin’,” I interrupted, tugging on the ends of her hair.
She beamed. “Mom says you used to do that to her. She’s told me all about you. All about your love and relationship. How you guys met and what you went through. How you were always there for her. How much you loved her and saved her. How much she loved you. She tells me I’m just like you! I’ve probably looked at the pictures she has of you about a million times. I’ve wanted to meet you for a really long time now. Mom never let me go to your visiting hours with her because she said you didn’t want to meet me under those circumstances. You didn’t want me to see you like that. But she said that you talked about me all the time. That you loved me so much and that you couldn’t wait to finally meet me. I fought with her every time she told me she was going to visit you. I’m so happy right now! She told me you hadn’t come to meet me yet because you were trying to find the perfect time. I know this probably isn’t that time, and I know I’m all wet from the ocean, but can I hug you? Please.”
I blinked away my tears and cleared my throat. “I would love that more than anything.”
She jumped into my arms and it was the first time in six years that I truly embraced someone back. I closed my eyes and held her as tight as I could against me, trying my best to hold it together. I couldn’t believe Aubrey lied to her. I couldn’t believe she included me in Giselle’s life all those years as if I was right there with them. With just a few words my hatred towards her lessened in a matter of seconds.
As if it wasn’t even there to begin with.
Giselle was the first to pull away, and I resisted the urge to pull her back toward me and never let her go.
I locked stares with Aubrey when I opened my eyes. She was hugging herself in a comforting gesture, with tears in her eyes. I actually took her in that time and she appeared as if she hadn’t aged a day, if anything she looked younger.
She wore a soft yellow dress that hugged her in all the right places, and after all those years it was still my favorite color on her. Her blonde hair was long, down to her waist. It was lighter than I remembered. That only told me she must have spent a lot of time on the beach.
“Mom!” Giselle greeted, hugging her and looking back at me.
