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Did she forgive him? Could she?
She’d never been one to hold a grudge. People made mistakes. They did stupid things. And her dad had done the ultimate.
But he was still her father. She still loved him. And she knew he loved her.
She took his hand in hers and his face crumpled before he pulled her close, her face resting on his chest, his arms enveloping her like they had when she was a child.
“I’m so sorry,” he whispered. “So sorry.
“I know,” she murmured against his chest. “I’ll get over it.”
“You shouldn’t have to. Nobody should treat you like this. Least of all your father.”
She lifted her head up, her eyes shining. His were too. “I’ll expect you to grovel for the next month.”
He smiled. “Done.” Then his face turned serious again. “You and Michael…”
“Are over. I wasn’t lying about that.”
“Is that what you want?”
She swallowed hard. “It doesn’t matter what I want. He made that decision, not me.”
“I could talk to him…”
“No.” That was the last thing she wanted. “Please don’t.”
“He left you because of me.”
She took a deep breath, her chest aching with the movement. “He left because of his own stupid reasons. Because he wasn’t willing to fight for me. Maybe he didn’t think I was worth all the problems this caused.”
He cupped her cheek. “You’re worth everything.”
The ghost of a smile passed her lips. “Thank you.” And yeah, she was trying to think that too.
“Thankyou,” he said. “For listening to me. For letting me apologize.”
“Don’t do it again.”
He smiled. “I won’t.”
She stepped back from their embrace, shading her eyes from the midday sun. “I’m going to head home now.”
“Want me to walk you to your car?”
“It’s okay. I’ve got it.” She pulled her keys from her purse. “I guess I’ll see you at work tomorrow.”
“Only if you’re feeling better.” He looked at her temple and she almost laughed, because she’d forgotten about her cut again.
It would heal. Probably in a few days. She had young skin, and she was resilient.
“I’ll be fine.” She nodded and walked over to her car, pressing the button on her keys to unlock it.
It was only when she climbed inside that she realized she was facing the area where she and Michael had spoken only hours earlier.
Where she’d told him she didn’t want to be his friend. That she was selective about who she hung around with.
And the memory of his expression hurt more than any gash on her head ever could.
