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I hadn’t lied in that I wanted to become a better man. Not in business perhaps, but in my ability to enjoy life, to break through walls and laugh.
I’d walked through fire and would do so ten times over to save my family. Perhaps it was time to dance in a fountain, laughing and enjoying a beautiful day.
And the amazing woman who had agreed to be by my side.
Deal or no deal, Raven Cartier was mine.
In her eyes, I no longer saw fear and trepidation, only admiration and love. Maybe I’d become her hero in some small way after all, her prince that she’d dreamt of as a child.
Whatever the case, there was business to finish, including the most important one of all.
Healing the family.
I stood outside the man’s house, trying to debate what I’d say to him. For the third time, I looked back at Raven, who remained inside the rental car. She had every right to see her father, to discuss their private lives and the past, as well as the future.
But this I needed to do on my own.
She gave me a nod, placing her fingertips on the windshield in solidarity, providing her support. Hell, little did she know she’d given me the courage as well. I’d spent so much time hating Thomas, longing to crush him like a bug that years of my life had dissipated, vanishing before my eyes.
My daughter’s first steps.
The first time she’d called me Daddy.
Her first piano recital.
Her first ballet recital.
Disneyland.
Graduating middle school.
All a blur because I’d been filled with hate.
That ended today.
There were some wounds that couldn’t be healed completely. We’d likely never be close again, sharing everything from stories about girls and grades to a cold beer. But we would no longer be enemies.
Forgive and forget?
Not possible.
At least the forgetting part.
I hesitated for another minute before knocking on the door, taking a step back as I waited for someone to consider allowing me entrance. We’d come unannounced, although Raven had already spoken to her father on the phone briefly. However, he didn’t expect us and quite frankly, I hadn’t considered the possibility he wouldn’t let me into his home.
Closing my eyes, memories rushed in. At least this time they were good ones, times filled with laughter, and there had been many of those before everything had gone to shit.
When the door was opened, I took a deep breath, coming face to face with my arch enemy.
Thomas and I stared at each other, I think both of us trying to figure out when was the last time we’d been this close. He exhaled and glanced toward the car, no surprise on his face.
“I’ve been expecting you. Please. Come in.” Thomas stood back, opening the door wider. He’d changed significantly over the years, aging to the point I was surprised. But mostly, he appeared tired, beaten down, as if the years had taken an entirely different yet just as damaging toll.
He’d attempted in his own way to protect the only family he’d ever really known while determined to keep his distance. I didn’t care about his reasons why, only that he had remained as loyal as he’d been able to. Or as much as his damaged psyche had allowed.
Who was I to judge? I’d become a shell of man, barely living.
After closing the door behind us, he moved slowly through his beautiful yet modest home, remaining quiet. I was struck by just how quiet everything was inside his house, only the slight ticking of a clock somewhere giving away that there was any life inside.
