Page 147 of Until I Have You

Dad leans his face in his hand.Silent.

We’ll need our moment alone.I lock eyes with Sonia.“I appreciate the apology, and I…I forgive you.But I’ll need time to trust again.”

“I understand.”She smiles.

I see glimpses of a friend for the first time in a long time rather than my father’s wife.“I love you, Abigaill.”

“Love you too,” I tell her in return, meaning it.“Could you give Dad and me a moment?”

Sonia smiles, dipping her chin down.“Of course.”

And just as Theo left me, Sonia touches my father on the back softly before joining Mom, Theo, and Bonnie at the jukebox.They’re bickering over which songs to choose.All they need is a Sonia touch to make it all better.

“Abigail–” My father’s broken voice calls my attention back.

I chew on my lower lip, waiting for him to go on.

“It’s hard for me to understand.”Dad throws a glance toward Theo.“How it happened.”

I could explain.But I don’t want to.I want to stand my ground.Livemylife onmyterms.And that means I don’t need my dad’s opinion.“Do you need to understand in order to respect it?”

My father’s brows lift.Then he chuckles.“You are just like your mother.I mean that in a good way.Just so…stubborn.”

“She’d say the same of you.”

“Well, then we made you exponentially more difficult, didn’t we?”Dad says with an affectionate smile.

“You made it so no one could tell me to be any way but the way I am,” I tell him.“And the way I am just happens to coincide with the way Theo is.It just…fits.”

Dad leans closer.“You know what you’re getting into, right?”

“With Theo?There’s a list of things, which are you referring to?”

Dad chuckles.“I mostly mean with…if you’re going to be with him, you’re going to have to be a parent to Bonnie.That’s what he’s looking for.I never knew that’s something you wanted.”

“I don’t wantsomething.I wantTheo.And everything that comes with him.Including Bonnie.Most of all, Bonnie.”As pang hits my chest.“She’s not mine, but if I could make her mine, I would.”

My father’s eyes widen as he takes this in.“That’s big.”

“It is,” I agree.I’m nothing if not determined.“I love him, Dad.Both of them.”

“I know you do,” he says, adjusting in his seat.“Took me longer than I’d like to figure it out, but when Theo came to see me and said you left him, and I had no idea.”

“I didn’tleavehim–”

“Oh no, Abigail Lyons, you broke the man’s heart,” Dad says with a laugh.“You would have come home and made amends if he hadn’t meant everything to you.You’re my daughter.I know you pretty well.”

His smile fades.“I just missed when you grew up.And I’m sorry for that.”

I cross my arms on the edge of the table.“Yeah, you should be.”

Dad chuckles.“You’re something else, you know that?”

“And Jack and Nate?Are they going to apologize to me too?Don’t tell me they’re going to walk in any moment.”

Dad tips his head down.“No, no, they’re at home.But they know they both have to have conversations with you too.”

Being cornered by all four of them would have been even more overwhelming, but I can’t hide my disappointment.

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