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Hailey’s eyes hurt from not blinking, but she was riveted to hear about the young vivacious woman her mom had been. She only had a smattering of memories, and they were mostly all of her being sad or passed out. Taking another big drink of her water, she watched as Maddox unfolded a letter from his suit coat and handed it to her. With eager interest she poured over her grandmother’s handwriting and recognized the struggle in the misspelled words and sloppy penmanship.
“She never told me. She must have thought we all had time. Later, she couldn’t write or speak well, and then she was gone.”
He nodded with a grimace.
“I know. I was out on my last deployment and that letter took four months to find me back in Virginia Beach. I had just retired my commission and started my business.”
“Too bad Gran didn’t believe in email.”
They both laughed, breaking the seriousness of the moment.
“My company was an overnight success, or so it seemed, but I’d tinkered with ideas and tech for years. Anyway I’d just been named aFortune 500company when the letter arrived. I thought it was a crazy scam, but I went to see your gran because her name rang a bell. Your mother went by Bella Ray Burke when I knew her.”
“Oh, right, her maiden name.”
“I don’t think your mom wanted me to find out about you, but your gran invited me to visit if I wanted to know more. I found her at the nursing home, and she didn’t seem to understand who I was or remember the letter. I sat with her for a bit, read to her, and saw one picture of your mother. I knew it was all true. I knew then I had a little girl out there somewhere, and I’ve been looking ever since.”
Tears clouded Hailey’s eyes and she stubbornly swiped at them, but it was useless.
“I’m not usually a crier.”
His eyes were misted over and it looked like he wanted to reach out to her, but he hesitated.
“Me either, but I think we’re allowed some leniency.”
She smiled and used her napkin to wipe her wet cheeks.
“I don’t understand why she never told me.”
“I’m guessing she didn’t know from the beginning. Maybe your mom left something behind that your gran discovered later.”
“We’ll probably never know,” Hailey said.
“I visited her a few more times, but one day, they said your gran had passed away. When I asked to go through her things, they said her relative had already picked it up. They wouldn’t give me any information about you. I must have only missed you by a few days.”
“I was in law school at the time, and it was a really hard time. There’ve been a lot of hard times, and it just seems crazy to find out now you were out there all this time.”
“I would have saved you all of that pain if I had known, Hailey. I would have loved you and protected you.”
She shook her head. “I believe you. I don’t need you to make any amends or feel guilty about what happened. It was my mom’s fault. You don’t have to leave me your life’s work.”
He shook his head a moment, but then his blue eyes filled with tears.
“It’s not from guilt so much as pride. It’s hard to explain, but the minute I knew you existed, I fell in love with the idea of having you. I’ve focused so much on my career I never stopped to think about what it’s all for, who I can share a holiday with, maybe go golfing or surfing or whatever you like to do. You’re my daughter, and I would really like to know you. And I admit I’m angry we were robbed of twenty-eight years together. You had to do so much on your own. But I don’t want you to ever worry another day in your life. You’ll have money, security, and me if you want to. It’s the least I can do.”
Hailey let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. “I’m not any good at accepting handouts or help.”
He laughed. “Well, you may get that from me and your mom.”
“I want to be mad at her, but I also want to know everything you know about her.”
“Your mom was the kind of personality that took over a room, a free spirit no one could catch and everyone wanted to be with.”
Three hours later and many more tears, Hailey agreed to see her father again that weekend. He congratulated her on her promotion and told her over and over how proud he was of her. They hugged when she finally said good night, and on the ride home in a taxi, she felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Meeting her dad suddenly grounded her on the planet, but she ached to share it with Finn.
Lying in bed that night, she wondered what he was doing. Every inch of her body wanted to jump out of bed and go find him. Her heart yearned to talk to him, but she held back. What if she wasn’t capable of loving him the way he deserved? What if he changed his mind, and she was stuck the rest of her life with a broken heart?
But it felt like her heart was already breaking. Her dad had said something that seemed directed at her when he said he’d been so focused on the mission while in the Navy, he forgot to have a life and a family. He’d realized too late how much he missed out on.
