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It was completely unhealthy, I knew that. But I wasn't ready yet.
When I arrived at my parent's house, my mother answered the door. She surprised me by pulling me into a tight hug. It had been a long time since I felt my mother hug me like she cared. I knew she did, but she rarely showed it.
"I'm so glad you came," she said with a smile. "Dinner's ready. Come on, let me take your bag."
I knew if I refused, it would hurt her feelings. She was doing something I couldn't remember her doing before. She was trying to take care of me, even if it was just walking me to the dining room. She hung my bag up and kept her hand on my back as I crutched my way into the dining room.
My father smiled as I entered, putting out his arms to hug me as well. "You're getting pretty good on those things."
I snorted. "The raw spots under my arms do not agree with you. I can't wait to walk on my own again."
"Soon," he said, pulling out my chair.
I knew that he had something to talk to me about. I could see it in his eyes. But instead of talking about it over dinner, the conversation was light for the first time in years.
"We picked a vacation home to buy," my father said happily. "It's a beautiful beach villa."
"Nice," I smiled. "Will you be there a lot?"
He looked at my mother. She shrugged. "It really depends. We were thinking of going during the holidays, even taking the family. But really, it's up to your father and what he feels like doing."
I nodded, poking at my dinner. "What are you going to do in retirement?"
He chuckled. "Hate it for the first six months. Then I have a list of things I've always wanted to try."
"Like what?"
My father sat up proudly. "I would like to learn how to make birdhouses."
I pressed my lips together and swallowed my laugh. "Oh. That's…nice."
He poked me in the side and shook his head. "No laughing."
I giggled and put up my hands. "I'm sorry. I had to get it out. Now it's done. I'm very excited to see your…bird houses."
Raising an eyebrow, he glanced at my mother. "Take Amber off the list. She doesn't get a birdhouse."
I laughed and pouted. "Awe. I want one. I swear. I'm just giving you a hard time."
We all laughed, and it was really lovely. I needed an evening where I just felt like me for a little bit. The girl I was before I got so caught up in the company and making my father proud. The girl I was before I met Ryder. But then again, the woman I was when I was with him, I had really started to like.
When dinner was over, my mother went in to plate dessert, and my father walked me into his study. He sat down across from me, lighting a cigar. "So, I want to talk to you about something."
I prepared myself. I wasn't going to act upset about the new CEO. On the contrary, I was going to be supportive because that's what the company needed.
My father cleared his throat. "You will become the new CEO as of my retirement."
"I'm delighted…wait…what? But I thought…."
My father shook his head. "I should have stood up for you. I should have stood up against those old geezers. Instead, I was tired of fighting them, and I let you down. The guilt was too much. So I told them how it was going to be. And I threatened them that if they disagreed, I would stay on and make their lives hell."
I chuckled and shook my head. "Daddy, thank you."
He shook his head. "You earned it, all on your own. I just cleared the roadblock. Several of the board members were trying to get someone they knew. They were making it impossible for you to succeed. I put a stop to it immediately. This is my company. I will not fold to some investor's whims. You will be announced at my retirement ceremony."
I leaned forward and hugged my father tightly. "Who will I dance with?"
He took a deep breath. "Me. Unless there's someone you'd like to invite."
