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“Me too.” He didn’t deserve my forgiveness, but he’d earned it through tragedy, tragedy that put everything in perspective. If he hadn’t stormed those doors in time, my husband would havedied…and I probably would have died too. “So, you’re seeing Hannah?”
Instead of skirting the question or avoiding it altogether, he answered it head on. “Yes. There’s always been this…energy…between us. There were times when I felt like she was trying to make something happen, but I avoided those compromising situations. Mixing business and pleasure is never a good idea, so it wasn’t an option. But now…” He gave a shrug. “It is an option.”
“And it does work sometimes…like it did with Axel and me.”
“Yes, you’re right about that.”
“So you like her?”
He didn’t seem uncomfortable with the questions, maybe because he was just thrilled that we were having a conversation at all. “I do. She’s always been so good to me and knows me so well. And she’s very beautiful…”
“She’s got one hell of an ass on her.”
My dad smirked then darted his eyes away, deeply embarrassed by that comment.
“I’m happy for you.”
“You are?” he asked. “I know she’s a bit younger than me…”
“A bit?” I asked with a laugh.
“Okay, more than a bit. But it works. And I’m glad that you’re supportive of this relationship.”
“I just want you to be happy, Dad. You deserve to have someone, and I’ve noticed the way Hannah has looked at you for years. It’snot like you were a creep that came on to her. I think she’d been into you for a long time.”
“Perhaps.”
“Does she want a family?”
“I imagine so.”
“And how do you feel about that? You’re still young enough.”
He released a sarcastic chuckle. “I don’t know about that.”
“You were fist-fighting a guy fifteen years younger than you.”
“When your life is on the line, you’d be surprised at what you can do. But the lack of sleep and the diapers and the baby shit everywhere… I don’t know. And besides, I have you, and I’m really not interested in having another child. I have the daughter I’ve always wanted. I’ve loved every stage of being your father, but this is the one I’m enjoying the most, because I get to be your friend.”
“It is nice.”
“So, no more children for me.”
“Well, then I guess Hannah won’t be around long.”
“I don’t know. She’s never told me whether she wants children. Perhaps she doesn’t. If she wants to be with me, perhaps she knows that dating an older man means a child-free life makes more sense. We’ll see,” he said with a shrug. “And what about you?”
“We want children.”
“It’s a long and exhausting journey, but when you reach the top and see the view…it’s all worth it.”
I smiled. “Axel kinda wants them now, but I’m not ready yet.”
“What’s the rush?”
“I don’t know. He’s just excited by the idea.”
“You have time, sweetheart. Enjoy your husband and your freedom, because once you have kids, it’ll be gone forever.” He reached for his wineglass and took a drink. “I lost a lot of friends and opportunities, having you so young. Would I change anything? No. But it does alter things.”
