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“Because if I tell you I don’t like him, that might make you like him out of defiance.”
I gave a subtle shake of my head. “I don’t have that kind of attitude.”
“Or perhaps I’ve misjudged him, and I negatively influenced your good relationship when I should have stayed out of it. Or even worse, you distance yourself from me because my opinion makes you uncomfortable. If this were business, it would be more straightforward, but when it’s family, it’s infinitely more complicated. Being a father is the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but it’s also the best. And the last thing I want to do is ruin this pure, beautiful thing that we’ve built together.”
I looked into his kind eyes and saw the love he had for me burning from his soul.
“I’m sorry that I lied to you, sweetheart.”
“It’s okay, Dad.”
“I’ll be honest with you from now on. But please don’t ask me if you aren’t prepared for the answer.”
“Fair enough.” I gave a slight smile.
He smiled back.
“So, why don’t you like him?”
That brilliant smile disappeared, and he didn’t answer because the waitress brought our dishes. I got pasta, but he got a prawn salad. She walked away, and then we were left with the tension of my question.
He took his time forming his answer. “He’s too passive.”
“He’s easygoing. I thought that was a good thing.”
“No,” he said quickly. “You want a man who isn’t afraid to say what he thinks, even if it conflicts with your beliefs. He seems like someone who will choose the path of silence rather than conflict because it’s not worth the effort—which means he doesn’t think he, himself, is worth the effort. I understand you’re smart and independent, so you don’t need a man the way another woman might, but that doesn’t mean you don’t deserve one. You deserve a man who takes care of you and everything else, even though he knows you can do it yourself. Because he wants to. He opens every door. Pulls out every chair. Makes you feel like you’re the only woman in the room even when that room is full of supermodels. I’ve seen his gaze stray…”
“I don’t care if he looks at other women?—”
“You should.”
“I notice other men?—”
“Then he’s not right for you,” he said simply. “I know this is a cliché, and I feel like a pussy for even saying it…”
I hesitated because I’d never heard my father say anything like that. He didn’t even curse if I was in his presence. The only time I heard him talk like a gangster was when he thought I was out of earshot and he was ripping into someone.
“But I want you to have a man who treats you the way I treat you. Loves you the way I love you. I’ve done everything I can to prove my love for you is unconditional. I’ve sacrificed so much for you, but I’ve done that happily because you’re the single most important thing to me…and I’m pretty sure you’ve never had to question that.”
His words nearly brought me to tears.
“You should never have to question him, sweetheart. When you aren’t in the room, you know his eyes aren’t where they shouldn’t be. That whenever you text him, he’ll always respond, that you’re always his top priority. You never have to wonder where he is or what he’s doing because he doesn’t lie, and he keeps his word to you. Even if he never tells you he loves you, you would know that he does. That’s what I want for you. And Ryan isn’t it.”
I digested all of that as I let my food grow cold.
“I hope I haven’t upset you too much.”
“No, I’m fine,” I said quickly. “I just don’t understand how you have such a profound opinion on relationships when I’ve never seen you be in one.”
He grabbed his fork and pushed a shrimp aside as he considered his response. “I know what I want for you, sweetheart. You’re such a smart girl—woman—and you have so much potential. You deserve the best. I know I’m biased because I’m your father, but I know a diamond when I see one.”
“Thanks, Dad…”
He took a bite of his salad.
“Dad?”
“Yes, sweetheart?”
