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“Well, you yelling at Lenny hurt me.”
I nod, letting her words sink in.
She’s right. Tell your daughter she’s right.
“I guess I was a little harsh on her.”
Noah coughs out an incredulous laugh. “Youguess? I don’t know how she didn’t slap you after the way you spoke to her—and you didn’t even thank her.” She crosses her arms over her chest. “Is that the way you’d want a boy to speak to me?”
Oh, she went there.
I roll my eyes. “Not the same situation.”
“You always tell me that a boy should treat me with respect. Do you feel like you showed Lenny respect?”
I clench my jaw. “Who are you, Dr. Phil?”
She rolls her lips between her teeth. “I’m right and you know it.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
She leans in. “You need to apologize to her.”
“No fucking way.”
“Language.”
I offer her a fake polite smile. “I’m sorry. I meant to say: Nofreakingway.”
Noah shakes her head. “I never knew my father was a chickenshit.”
“I amnota chickenshit.”
“Then apologize. Go over there right now and apologize to her.”
Blondie’s words echo in my mind:You sure aren’t winning any parent of the year awards.She’s not wrong. I’ve always felt less than as a single parent, especially as the father to a daughter. I don’t know what the hell I’m doing most days, and it shows.
“The person I want to apologize to is you.” I reach out and cover her hand with mine. “I don’t ever want you to feel like you’re afraid to mess up around me. I’m your father, and I will love you no matter what mistakes you might make. I don’t want you to feel like you’re walking on eggshells around me.” I shake my head. “My father made me feel that way and I don’t want you to grow up feeling like you’re not good enough.”
“If you want to do better than grandpa, then you need to apologize to people.”
I scratch my nails against the scruff on my chin. “Why did I have to raise such a good kid, hmm?”
“Because you’re a good dad. That’s the one thing Lenny was wrong about.”
Affection blooms in my chest, sending a warm current throughout my body. “I’m trying my best, kid.”
Noah scoots closer to the table and picks up her fork again. “I like Lenny.”
“Do you?”
“Yeah, she’s cool. She’s really pretty too. I wish my hair could be that shiny.”
“Your hair is fine the way it is.”
“You’re my dad. You have to say that.”
I scoff. “You think I wouldn’t tell you if you were ugly?”
