own,” he murmured before shoveling eggs into his mouth. I knew there was no sadness in his words for Mama. His only grief was for what I had to go through. It made me feel better.
“I’m better now,” I replied.
“I see that. Living with your...brother? I didn’t even know that Sharron had another kid, but then again, I was in and out of her life. She was like a roach I couldn’t kill.”
“Is it possible he’s yours?” I asked. The thought hadn’t occurred to me. Lance had never asked who his father was, and it hadn’t come up in conversation.
“I didn’t meet your mom until three years before you were born. He seems like a good guy for taking you in, but no, he’s not mine. Probably for the best. I can barely take care of one kid.” His head bowed in shame, and I wanted to give him a big hug of reassurance.
“You’re here. We’ll figure out this whole father-daughter shit on the way. I’m stronger than I look, old man. I get that from you.”
“Stop, you’ll make me cry. And I’m not old. I’m refined, like good whiskey. I’m off the bottle, by the way. Guess prison helped get me clean, but I don’t touch the shit now that I’m out.”
“That’s awesome, Dad,” I replied with warmth.
“So tell me about you, and Lance, is it?”
“He lives near here, and I have a nice bedroom at his loft. It’s the first time I’ve felt safe in a while. It’s also nice to not worry about bills or chemo. I’m starting at this really cool magnet school for geniuses.”
“No shit? That’s awesome, kid. You were always too smart for your own good. There were days I wasn’t sure if you’d lead the country or a gang in prison.”
“Why not both?” I replied with a wink.
Dad tilted his head back and laughed so loud the entire diner turned to stare at us. “Well, let me know if you have science fairs or whatever it is geniuses do. I’ll come, okay? And if you need to leave Lance’s house for whatever reason, I don’t have much, but I do have a futon and some good opportunities on the horizon. I’m man enough to admit that you’d probably be happier with your brother, but the offer stands. Day or night, okay?”
“Okay, Dad.”
We continued to eat, joking and catching up while veering the conversation away from Mama or the time lost. I was really glad that Dad followed me out here. He seemed to have his life back on track. Maybe Lance would like to meet him.
The hour passed quickly, and too soon it was time to say goodbye. I paid the bill, purposely ignoring the brief flash of shame crossing Dad’s features. I knew there would be a day when he could pick up the tab, but I was happy to do it now. We both got up, and Dad wrapped me up in a giant hug, emotion bubbling up in his chest and flowing out through his gruff, choked words. “Thanks for seeing me, kid. I’m here for the long haul, okay? I appreciate the chance to be in your life. I don’t…” His words broke off, his emotions too strong. I watched as my badass, larger-than-life father wiped a stray tear from his eye before crashing me to his chest once again. “I don’t know what I did to deserve your forgiveness and kindness, but I’m so damn thankful. I won’t let you down again.”
I was just about to pull away and offer him a drive to work when a hard, unrelenting voice stopped me in my tracks.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Decker asked. Dad gripped me tighter before glowering at Lance and Decker. Pulling away, I turned to face the two, broody men. They looked like they’d just rolled out of bed. Lance’s eyes were wired as he looked at my dad, confusion and disappointment on his face.
“What am I doing? What are you doing here?” I asked before crossing my arms over my chest. Lance at least had the decency to seem confused by my change in direction, but Decker held still, looking at my father up and down like a predator.
“You disappeared at four in the morning. We thought you ran away or were abducted. You can’t just leave without letting us know,” Lance said, and I felt my father relax beside me.
My heart softened a bit, but the tender moment disappeared the moment Decker’s voice