could have had a relationship with my father, but I refused to let him love me.
“I’m so glad you’re here.”
He squeezes me back. “Are you okay?”
More tears fall even when I try to squeeze them away. “I’m sorry I’ve been such a pain in the ass.”
He rubs my back gently, just like I remember him doing when I was a little girl. “Shhh. It’s okay, Mags. You have nothing to apologize for.”
“I want to know you too, Dad. I want to be part of your life.” I pull back slightly to see his face.
His eyes are bloodshot, and his chin is quivering as he nods. “You always have been, baby girl, whether it felt like it or not. You’ve always been here.” He pats his chest and then cups my chin. “How is he?”
I sniffle. “As good as can be, I guess. He hasn’t been eating much, but I’m about to make him something to eat while he showers. Do you want to come in? I can make extra.”
He quirks a lip at me. “You’re going to cook? You definitely didn’t get that trait from your mother.”
I roll my eyes. “I’ve been working in a kitchen, Dad. Besides, it’s just grilled cheese. You can’t exactly mess that up.”
He raises his brows. “Don’t be so sure about that.” Then he gestures for me to head inside. “I wouldn’t say no to that offer. Let’s see what you’ve got.”
I smile and shut the door behind us both then head into the kitchen. My dad takes a seat at a stool while I start to heat the skillet.
“When did he let you know?” I ask.
“He didn’t.”
This throws me off a little, but I focus on dicing the onions, trying not to add to the waterworks.
“Rebecca reached out. I imagine Desmond’s been quite preoccupied.”
I nod. “He has.” I toss the onions and some spices onto the hot skillet. A loud sizzle follows. “I think keeping busy has helped him in some ways. The nights seem to be the hardest for him.”
“I can imagine.”
Silence passes between us while I start to brown the onions. A few minutes later, I reach into the refrigerator and pull out a beer. I hold it up to my dad in question, and he accepts with a nod. I grab another one and pop the caps off before handing him one.
“So how was it being back in Dallas? You know, before…” My dad’s voice trails off, but I understand what he’s asking.
“It was nice, actually.” I peek at my dad over my shoulder and smile. “Desmond’s dad was sweet and adorable. I had a hard time picturing him any other way, you know? And then we drove around our old neighborhood and stopped at Brighton.” I take in a deep breath and turn back to the stove to set aside the onions. “I forgot how much I missed those old days when you’d drag us to those high school football games. I never did fall for the game the way Monica did, but I still enjoyed that time with you.” I start to smear some mayonnaise on each of the slices of bread. “And then you ended up coaching there. How crazy is that?”
He chuckles. “The world sure does work in mysterious ways. I love that it brought you girls back here to me.”
I suck in a deep breath to help steady my emotions, and then I nod again. I’m not sure I trust myself to speak right away, so I focus on adding my butter to the pan and adding the bread. While two slices are heating, I turn to face him while reaching for my beer. “If there’s one thing I learned this week, it’s that life is truly short. I don’t want to live with regrets or what-ifs, or feelings of resentment.” I feel heat spreading across my cheeks as I hear myself speak. “Anyway, I love that we’re all here too.”
“Not really the way I would have ever pictured it,” my dad says with a smile. “With my two daughters dating Zach and Desmond. I never even got the chance to threaten them with my shotgun.”
I stifle a laugh and roll my eyes. “Miracles do exist.”
I turn back to the stove and finish up the sandwiches while my dad and I finish our beers. I don’t even notice how quiet Desmond’s condo is until the door to the bedroom opens and Desmond comes out in shorts and a T-shirt. “I thought I heard you talking to