A Christmas Break - Annabelle Jacobs Page 0,56

he’d embarrassed me in front of Finn.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about having him here now.

My mum slipped off her shoes and went into the living room. I smiled as I heard her fussing over Angus.

My dad lingered in the hallway as I closed the door.

Oh goodie.

His gaze dropped to the cast on my arm, expression pained. “How is it?”

“Better,” I replied, lifting it a little. “Pain’s a lot less than it was this time last week.”

He grimaced and then sighed. “I’m sorry I haven’t been round to see you before now.” He looked down at his feet rather than look me in the eye, a very uncharacteristic thing for him to do. Between that and the apology, I was tempted to ask if he was ill. “I wasn’t sure of my welcome after last time.”

I huffed out a laugh, because neither was I. “You apologised to him.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t apologise to you.” He glanced up then, meeting my gaze, and I was surprised to see the regret in his eyes. “I’m really sorry, Jasper. I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that or behaved the way I did.” He ran a hand through his hair, as if struggling to find the right words. “Your mother had a few choice words for me.” He smiled, expression fond. “And she was right as usual. I’ve just been too stubborn to see it.”

“As usual,” I muttered, without thinking.

Surprisingly he laughed. “I guess I deserved that.”

Who is this person, and what has he done with my dad?

“Are you all right?” I couldn’t help but ask, because this wasn’t usually how our conversations went.

“Not really, Jasper.” He smiled again, a touch wry. “I’ve behaved very poorly the last couple of years where you’re concerned, and I’d very much like to make it up to you. Or try,” he added. “If you’ll let me?”

I stood there, stunned, not really believing what I was hearing. “I don’t understand. Why the sudden change of heart?”

“Having to hear that your son’s been to the hospital two days after it happened made me realise that I’m not a person you think to call when something important happens. I’m not even anywhere on your list of people to call.”

He wasn’t wrong, but I refused to feel guilty for that.

“That’s not the sort of father I want to be, Jasper.” He met my gaze again, and I almost didn’t recognise him in that moment. Gone was the arrogance and disappointment I was used to seeing there, replaced by a vulnerability that floored me. “I hope it’s not too late to change that.”

I swallowed past the lump in my throat, not surprised to find myself blinking back tears. I felt incredibly young suddenly. This was all I’d ever wanted to hear from him, and now he was stood in front of me saying the words, but a part of me still refused to give in.

But I wanted to.

It might just take a while.

“It’s not too late,” I said, because I knew that much was true. I still loved him, despite everything. “But I can’t promise it’ll be easy.”

“Nothing worthwhile ever is.”

I rolled my eyes at how predictable that was coming from him.

“I mean it, Jasper. I know you’ll take some convincing that I’ve changed, and I don’t expect you to forgive me overnight. But I’m not going anywhere, and I’m not giving up. I want to fix this.” He held out his hand, and I found myself giving another eye-roll, because for fuck’s sake. We might have our problems, but he was still my dad, not a fucking stranger and I wasn’t about to shake his bloody hand.

I stepped close and gave him a one-armed hug instead. It was a bit awkward at first, probably because we hadn’t done it in a while and I’d taken him by surprise, but then he wrapped his arms around me and hugged me so tight I choked out a laugh.

“Can’t breathe.”

He stepped back quickly. “Sorry.”

“Coffee?” I asked. I wanted to break the tension and move this back into the living room where my mum was no doubt listening. I’d had enough deep-and-meaningfuls for one day.

For a week.

“Yeah,” my dad nodded, voice thick. “That’d be great, thanks.”

I gestured for him to go into the living room ahead of me, and I caught my mum wiping quickly at her eyes before she smiled up at me. “I’ll go put the kettle on. You sit down, Jasper.”

“I’m quite capable of making everyone a drink.”

“I know you