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"And Sir," Adrian says, "I have a daughter too. A precious five-year-old. If someone was to hurt her, I'd shoot him."
My dad just stares at him, his expression unreadable.
"I'm only kidding," Adrian finally says, breaking the tense silence. "But you get my point."
My dad looks at him for a long moment before finally nodding.
"Alright then. I'll give you a chance," my dad says, his voice softening slightly. "But you better not screw it up."
Adrian nods again, and I can see the relief in his eyes. "Thank you, Sir ... David," he says, his voice filled with gratitude. "I promise you won't regret this."
"Well, Olivia, let's get some drinks, shall we?" my dad says at last, finally helping ease the tension.
I sigh with relief. At least now some of the animosity in this room is dissipating. Thank the stars for that. I pour us all some wine and pass it around.
"So, you say your daughter is five?" my dad asks Adrian. "What's her name?"
"She's Emily," says Adrian. "And she's the light of my life. Everything I do, I do for her."
I can see the love in Adrian's eyes as he talks about his daughter. It's clear that she means everything to him.
"That's beautiful," my dad says, a small smile on his face.
"Just today, she did something so funny. We were eating breakfast, and she sneezed so loudly, she dropped her own yogurt bowl in fear of the noise," Adrian laughs, his eyes sparkling with amusement.
My dad is now roaring with laughter. "Gosh, reminds me of Olivia here. When she was just a little baby, I was changing her diaper, and she farted so loudly that she scared herself and started crying," my dad laughs, his eyes sparkling with amusement.
"Dad!" I say, in protest. "Please stop. You're embarrassing me!"
My dad ignores me, while Adrian pretends to playfully whack me on my arm. “Hey, spoil sport!” he says, "don't ruin our fun!"
"Want to see old pictures of Olivia?" my dad asks. Much to my horror, Adrian nods.
My dad pulls out an album from one of the shelves and starts flipping through the pages. He shows Adrian pictures of me as a baby, as a toddler, and as a teenager. He even shows him a picture of me at my prom, which makes me cringe.
"You were quite the looker in your day, Olivia," Adrian says, complimenting me.
I roll my eyes but secretly feel a little flattered. The conversation continues to flow, with my dad and Adrian sharing stories of their past. They even discover that they have a mutual love for classic cars.
As the night wears on, I begin to feel more relaxed and at ease. Maybe this won't be so bad after all, I think to myself. Maybe my dad will grow to love Adrian just as I do.
Suddenly, the timer for the lasagna goes off, and I jump up from the couch. "I'll go get dinner," I say.
"Would you like some help?" asks Adrian, kindly.
"Ah, a man who helps in the kitchen is indeed a keeper," my dad says, clearly warming up to Adrian.
"Adrian's wonderful in the kitchen," I smile at last basking at the chance of complimenting my precious boyfriend. "He cooks for me all the time."
"That's because you're a terrible cook," Adrian laughs.
"Oh, she is; she gets that from her mother," my dad laughs, and then goes quiet. "I'm sure you know..."
"I do," whispers Adrian. "I'm so sorry for your loss, Sir. But you've done an amazing job with Olivia."
Just as I'm about to tell my dad about the hospital Adrian is building in memory of my sister, the oven rings again. I run out, leaving my glass of wine behind.
After I set the salad and lasagna on the table, I go back into the living room and hear a conversation that sends a lull of warm affection all over me.
