Wrecked (Clayton Falls) - By Alyssa Rose Ivy Page 0,66

he was confused and was asking for your brother…”

“Oh…”

“I was going to get your mom, but I heard you guys talking. I looked in to see if he was okay.”

“Was he awake?”

“Yeah. He asked who I was.” Jake smiled. “We had a long talk about football. I think I won him over when I told him I coached it now.”

“Won him over?”

“He wanted to make sure I was good enough to date his daughter.”

“Is he still awake?”

“No. He fell asleep while we were discussing the sorry shape the NFL was in.”

I smiled. “Now that sounds like Dad.”

“Do you want to try to talk to him, or wait until tomorrow?”

“I’ll wait.” I was too exhausted to see straight let alone have the hardest conversation of my life.

“All right, let’s head to bed then.”

“That sounds great.” We dug out toothbrushes and changed. Twenty minutes later, I was curled up in Jake’s arms.

***

“Dad?” I stepped into the room quietly. Mom said he was awake, but I didn’t want to disturb him if he was sleeping. Jake was giving Noah breakfast, and I knew it was now or never.

“Come in, Emily.”

I tentatively moved toward the bed. “Hi, Daddy.” I tried to choke back the tears, but he looked so weak. He never looked weak.

“Daddy? You haven’t called me that in years.”

I smiled through the tears. “I know.”

“You can at least sit down.” He raised his hand to gesture to an empty chair.

I sat down on the edge of the chair.

“I met your boyfriend.”

“What did you think?” I asked nervously.

“I like him. He’s real, and he cares about you.”

“And he coaches football…”

Dad smiled. “That too.”

I couldn’t hold back any longer. I scooted my chair closer. “I’m sorry, Dad. I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you. You were right about Tim. You were right about everything, but I was too stubborn to admit it.”

“I wish I wasn’t right. I just wanted what was best for you.”

“I thought marrying Tim was the right thing to do. That’s what you’re supposed to do if you get pregnant.”

“Sometimes doing the right thing means doing what some people might consider wrong.” Dad always gave advice like that. He sounded like a sage, but really it’s just the way he viewed things.

“I love you.” I got up and wrapped my arms around his neck.

“I love you too, Emily. I love you too.”

I cried. I cried, and I cried. I cried for all the time I’d wasted, all the chances we gave up just because we were both too stubborn to apologize.

He patted my back, and I sat back down.

“I raised you to be strong, and I’m so proud of you. But I also want you to know it is okay to lean on someone sometimes. It’s okay to need someone.”

I nodded. “It’s so hard, Dad. It’s so hard. I want to be the perfect mom for Noah, and I don’t know what to do half the time.”

“First of all, you can’t be perfect. Give that up now.”

I laughed. “Okay.”

“You’re going to make mistakes, just don’t be afraid to move on from them.” He paused for a moment. I think he needed to catch his breath. “Don’t forget about your own happiness. That’s just as important to Noah as anything else you do.”

I nodded.

“You had to grow up fast, and I don’t just mean when you got pregnant. Your brother’s death hurt us all, but I don’t think I gave you enough support. You got through it though, just like you got through Tim’s death. But you’re not just getting through with Noah. You’re thriving. Your mother and I are so proud of you.”

“I should let you go back to sleep.” I kissed his forehead and walked out of the room. Mom was waiting out in the hall. She gave me a huge hug before walking into the room. I went downstairs and found Jake and Noah playing with the dog. I stopped by the stairs, just watching them.

Noah turned and saw me, running into my arms. I held him close, reveling in how good it felt to have him in my arms. Jake joined us, hugging us both. I’d never felt so lucky before.

***

Dad was stable, and Mom insisted we go down to Clayton Falls to spend Christmas with Jake’s family. I argued at first, until I realized she wanted time alone with him. With a heavy heart, I said goodbye to my dad knowing it was probably the last time I’d get the chance to. Jake held my hand the