Page 124 of Somewhere You Belong

“It hurts that she kept something from me, but the person who’s really to blame for all of this is Dad.”

“Your dad didn’t do this to punish you. He did this out of guilt for how he affected Willow’s life. This is way bigger than you and how you think your father felt about you, Dallas.”

“Oh, Iknowhow Dad felt about me. He made that clear when I left for bootcamp, and every deployment after that.”

“Can’t you see that he wanted more for you?” She leans forward, locking her eyes onto mine. “Do you know what it was like watching him blame himself for years, fight through demons and struggle with just surviving? There was a point where I thought I would lose him, that he contemplated taking his own life, Dallas. Did you hear me? Don’t you get that?” My stomach drops from the way her voice shakes. “We almost divorced when Penn was two.” She inhales and then continues. “Being a spouse to a Marine is sometimes just as hard as being one yourself. He didn’t want that struggle for you—because helovedyou, Dallas. He didn’t want you to have to sacrifice a part of yourself out of obligation. He wanted to protect you from the horrors he experienced, despite the honor it was to watch you serve.”

It’s those words that make me break.

I reach up and pinch the bridge of my nose as I fight back sobs.

The couch dips beside me as my mother scoots closer and holds me to her chest, letting the emotions overtake both of us.

My father didn’t want me to live a haunted life like he did.

“He could have said that to me, you know?” I manage to croak out.

“Your father wasn’t the best at communicating, so maybe he tried in his own way, but please don’t hold this against him. He only did what he thought was best, and I had to support his decision about the house because it helped me get part of my husband back.” And then she forces me to look at her, tears clouding both of our eyes. “So please don’t hold this against me too.”

I lunge for her harder, soaking up her hug, holding onto the woman who has always supported me, and now I realize just how much she gave of herself to support my father too.

Talk about strength and love that is indescribable.

She squeezes me tighter. “I love you, Dallas. And I’m so, so sorry.”

“I love you too, Mom.”

“Please don’t let this ruin what you have with Willow.” She releases her hold on me as we both wipe our faces. “I saw the two of you together tonight, how she fit in here so seamlessly. She’s the one, honey.”

Nodding, I declare solidly, “I know she is.”

“I’ve never seen you like that with a woman before.”Because they’ve never been like her.“And as upset as you might be with your father, in a way, he actually brought you the love of your life.” Tilting her head, she says softly, “How can you be mad about that?”

Repeating those words over again makes me feel like a weight has just been lifted off my chest.

My mother is right.

My dad brought me Willow.

He may not have been there for me in other ways, but even though he’s gone, he’s still trying to lead me down the path he thinks is best—one that leads to the woman I’m head over heels in love with—my future, my life—the one I belong to.

I don’t want Willow to be a ghost that haunts me, catching me off guard everywhere I turn with memories of how she waltzed into my life in her Louboutin’s and lit a match under my ass, one that had me admitting how lonely I’d been.

No.

I’m not going to settle for her ghost. I need her to know how I feel, and hopefully from there, we can figure out the rest.

“Now I know you’re probably itching to talk to her, but you’ve been drinking and there’s no way I’m letting you drive.” She holds her palm out. “Keys.”

“You could drive me over there…” I slap my keys into her hands, pushing my bottom lip out for good measure.

Looks like the alcohol has done its job.

“You need to be sober when you apologize to that woman, and I think our talk tonight gave you enough information to absorb. Give her some space tonight, and then fight like hell for your girl tomorrow.”

“I can’t let her get away, Mom.”

“Don’t Dallas. Please. For all of our sakes.” She cups the side of my face with her hand, but then her eyes go wide. “Oh my God. I almost forgot.” She launches from the couch, practically racing down the hallway toward her room, returning just a few short seconds later. “You need to give her this the next time you see her.”

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