to let precious time slip between your fingers because I didn’t say anything. The signs are here. I think it would be wise to try to come and visit him.”
I didn’t say anything.
“I understand that you were planning on being gone for three months,” she continued, “and I also understand how much you needed the break. But I think it’s important that you know time is limited. At least his moments of clarity are. He’s still your dad right now, Peter. Bits and pieces of him show up every day. It won’t be long before those moments are gone entirely, and by then, it will be too late to say a proper goodbye.”
I cleared my throat as it tightened with anxiety and more guilt. “I’ll see what I can swing, Tiff. Thank you for being honest with me. I appreciate it.”
“You should tell your brother, too. He hasn’t been here in weeks.”
“I will. I promise. Tell my dad I’m coming to see him even though he’ll forget.”
I could hear the smile in her voice when she spoke. “Forgetting doesn’t matter. The moment will still matter to him. We’ll see you soon, Peter.”
“See you soon.”
She hung up first.
I stared at my phone in my hand before putting it down face first on my thigh.
The right thing to do would be to go back to LA to see my old man. And I knew I would follow through. It would be a hell of a lot easier if there was someone in my corner to go with me—someone who had my back who I could go to at the end of the day, who could lighten my burden and remind me that there were still things worth being happy about.
Worth smiling for.
Someone like Katie.
I worried it was too soon for me to ask her to do such a thing with me. It would be a lot of pressure, not to mention a difficult request to say no to.
Hey, Katie, how do you feel about flying to LA with me so you can hold my hand while I visit my dying father?
The thought made me laugh. There was no right way to pose the question.
Hey, Katie, let me take you on a date. There’s only one catch. It’s in LA and before dinner we have to make a pit stop at the Everglades to see my old man. Don’t worry. It won’t put a damper on the night at all.
I shook my head. This wasn’t the kind of thing to joke about. Katie would think I was an insensitive ass.
Chapter 16
Katie
Ginny collapsed on the sofa beside me with a sigh after our hard day of work. Roman puttered around in my kitchen pouring mimosas and assembling a charcuterie board. He loved to host but didn’t have the space to do so in the studio apartment he rented in a vacation property down the road, so he used my kitchen every chance he got. Ginny and I never complained. We were the ones who reaped the benefits of his perfectionism and talent with food prep and pairings, and tonight was a night for such indulgences.
I’d had a rough past few days.
The baby shower had gone pretty much exactly as I expected it to. I was surrounded by happy young couples all eagerly celebrating my brother, the soon-to-be-father, and Hailey, the soon-to-be-cutest-mother-in-the-world. Her bump had been showing, and when she offered to let me touch it, I nearly burst into tears right there on the spot.
None of them knew the kind of torture the party wreaked on me.
Jackson had a slight idea. He’d mentioned before I flew into town that he understood if I wanted to do a drive-by visit and sort of duck in and then out so I wasn’t bombarded by all the baby stuff. I explained to him that my infertility was not going to hold me back from celebrating my new niece or nephew that would be coming into the world in a few short months.
Jackson’s gratitude and joy that I was coming had been obvious. I hoped he never heard my heart breaking when I walked into the party or when I saw Hailey’s bump for the first time. I hoped she didn’t take it personally when I declined her offer to put my hand on her tummy to feel the baby kicking.
And lastly, I hoped none of them had the impression I didn’t want to be there.
Because holy hell, would I have rather been anywhere else.