Page 53 of Forbidden

Chapter Nineteen

Rosalie

I wokeup the next morning to the smell of pancakes, my dad’s specialty. After pulling my hair back into a messy ponytail, I entered the kitchen, anxious to see how my father was really doing.

“Ahh, there’s my girl,” he said.

I kissed my dad on the cheek as he flipped some pancakes over. He looked good, no different than the last time I saw him almost a year earlier.

Dad sat at the head of the table like he always did and I sat beside him. As he poured the syrup over his pancakes, his hand trembled slightly. If that was the worst of it, I’d take it. My dad would never tell me everything that was wrong, but at least I could see he was lucky and he really was alright.

“Is everything alright?” he asked. “You look like you have something on your mind.”

“I was just worried about you, but I’m glad to see you’re okay. Promise me you won’t keep me in the dark about stuff like this. It’s hard enough being so far from home.”

“You’re keeping something from me. Something else is on your mind.”

I looked up from my pancakes and as I met my dad’s gentle gaze, my tears from the night before came back. I didn’t want to cry in front of my dad. I didn’t want to cry in front of anyone. I covered my face with my hands and hoped he wouldn’t ask. If I had to talk about it, I knew I’d fall apart even more.

“I know that cry,” he said. He moved his chair closer to me and pulled me against his chest. “I went through that cry when your mother left me. There’s nothing worse than the pain love can cause.” He stroked my hair, and it brought me back to when I was a child and he’d comfort me. “It’s Shane, isn’t it?”

I nodded as the tears came quicker. I wanted to ask my dad how he knew, but I couldn’t speak. Luckily I didn’t need to.

“I’m not blind,” he said. “I’ll admit it took me a while, but eventually I realized you two were a couple while he was living here.”

“Sorry,” I whispered.

“You were both adults. After he left, he would call here to speak to Joanna and sometimes we’d talk. Even after Joanna and I divorced, he’d still call or visit when he was in the area. I could see how much he loved you. It’s the most a father could ask for his daughter. Some people might have a problem with it since he was living with us, and while he has been like a son to me, he’s not my son and he never was.”

My father handed me a tissue and I wiped my tears away. Somehow just hearing my father talk about Shane made me feel better. I needed to talk to Shane about last night. So much didn’t make sense and I needed to set things straight.

“Rosalie, I know you. I know your mind is spinning. You’re thinking and you’re confused. Shane and I have spoken a lot over the past few years. And trust me, when you feel so strongly about someone like you do, you don't want to waste any time. Life is too short, honey. Talk to him.”

---