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Her words are muffled against the fabric of my jacket. “I’m so glad you came. I was so afraid you wouldn’t… I’ve been such a bitch to you.”
I pry myself out of her clutches to look her in the eye. “You’re not a bitch. And even if you were, it wouldn’t stop me. I haven’t exactly been Father of the Year. I’m sorry you had to see me so fucked up. I never should’ve let myself get like that again.”
“Can I come back home?” she asks, wiping her eyes with the cuff of her sleeve. “I don’t want to go back there. I don’t ever want to see that asshole again.”
My stomach sinks as I come to the conclusion she’s been living with Jeff, and not with Kirsty. Guilt shoots through me. If I hadn’t let myself sink so low again, I’d have known where my own daughter was living.
“Of course you can. It’s your home.”
I reach for the gearshift to reverse out of the parking spot, but she grabs my hand.
“Wait…” Her thin fingers tremble over mine. “I have to tell you something.”
“You can tell me on the way, it’s almost five a.m. I just want to get you home.”
She shakes her head, sending her tousled hair in a flurry around her face. “I have to tell you now.” The quiver in her voice signals a wave of dread straight to my gut.
“Lily—”
“I’m pregnant.”
My heart seizes from the unexpected blow, then gallops to life like a pack of wild horses.
I could handle the drama and aftermath of an asshole ex-boyfriend. I’d already prepared myself to endure weeks of Lily hiding in her room, blasting heart-wrenching music while painting her nails black and talking to me through her locked door. Hell, I’ve missed her so much, I’d welcome it now.
But my eighteen-year-old daughter going through an unplanned pregnancy and being a single mom while living with me is a plot twist I didn’t see coming.
Exhaling a long breath, I let my head fall back against the headrest.
“I’m so sorry, Dad,” she says softly.
My mind is whirling like a top, unsure what reaction to stop on. I’ve always had Brianna, Kelley, or Penny to give me advice and help when I needed it.
I’m scared shitless. I can’t do this on my own.
Lily removes her hand from mine, and in that small action, I feel her slipping away from me already. “It’s okay. If you don’t want me there, I can—”
My daughter needs me. The daughter I couldn’t fight for and care for when she was a baby. The daughter who grew up thinking I was an asshole who abandoned her. The daughter I wanted to love and cherish more than anything in the world. She’s my perpetual, living link to Bri, and now, so is this baby. They’re my heart and soul, my flesh and blood. They need me.
Suddenly, I’m not scared anymore. I know I can do this.
“Come home, Lily. I’ll remodel the basement into an apartment for you and the baby. You can stay as long as you want. I’ll take care of both of you.”
Her eyes are still wet with tears when she turns to look at me. She blinks at me in disbelief. “You’d really do that?”
I grin. “Hell yeah. I’ll start tomorrow. I can already see it—two bedrooms, a little living room, a bathroom. There’s more than enough room.”
She looks down at her hands in her lap, nervously picking her nail polish off. “I didn’t think this would happen to me. I’m so scared, Dad.”
I think I’d sell my soul to call Penny and get her on speakerphone right now. A dose of her sweet voice, her confidence, and her carefree laugh would chase all these fears away for us. I miss her like crazy. I know Lily does, too.
“It’s okay to be scared,” I say. “We’ll get through this together, Lil. I’m not drinking anymore. I’ve got lots of work coming in. I can take care of you and the baby for as long as you need me. I just want you both to be safe and happy. That’s it.”
Tears fall from her cheeks. “I thought you were going to be mad at me.”
I gently brush her hair away from her face and touch her damp cheek. “I’m not mad at you,” I tell her softly. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” She smiles weakly at me. “Can I tell you something else?”
I take a breath, bracing myself for another shock.
“Anything,” I say as I pull out of the parking lot. “Always.”
“You might be a mess sometimes, but you’re not the asshole Grandpa said you were.”
I let out a laugh and glance over at her. “I know.”
Being a grandfather at forty-one wasn’t on my bingo card, but I think I’m gonna be okay with it.
Chapter 39
