Page 72 of Waiting on You

“My dad.” I shrug.

“You should answer it.”

“It’s going to be awkward. It’s always awkward. And I’m supposed to be resting.”

Nate chuckles. “Way to twist the doctor’s words, but seriously, Paige.” He steps into my space and drops his hands onto my hips. “Maybe it’s time to talk to him. You’re going to be a parent in a few months. What if our son overheard something and he didn’t give you the chance to explain?”

“Really?” I groan. “And you talked about me twisting the doctor’s words?” When he simply raises a brow, I sigh. “Okay, fine. But, umm…” I swallow nervously. “Will you stay here with me?”

“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”

When I call my dad back, he answers on the first ring.

“Paige, are you okay?”

His words shock me.

“Umm, yeah…” I say, walking out to the living room and sitting on the couch.

“I was worried. I called you several times, and you didn’t answer.”

I don’t know if it’s the sound of genuine concern in his tone or the fact that I’ve already decided to talk to him about what I overheard, but instead of answering,I blurt out, “Why?”

“Why what?” he asks.

“Why were you worried?”

“What do you mean? You’re my daughter, and you’re pregnant. Of course I’m going to worry.”

“But why?” I choke out. “Why do you care? You didn’t even want me, so I don’t understand why you waste your time worrying about me as if you give a shit.”

“What the hell are you talking about, Paige?”

“I heard you,” I admit. “All those years ago, when you didn’t think I was home, you told Mom you never wanted me. I heard you. You told her that you never wanted me…that you never wanted a family, and the only reason why I was born was because she wanted me!”

I choke out a sob, and Nate pulls me into his comforting arms.

“I just don’t understand why you care,” I continue. “I thought you’d be relieved that I moved away and never came back, yet you keep calling me every month like clockwork, as if you actually care.”

When I stop speaking, I feel the weight lift off my shoulders from the many years of holding on to this information. I probably shouldn’t have spilled it all out like that, but I doubt there’s a good or proper way to bring up the subject.

The other side of the line is quiet for so long that I pull my phone away from my ear to make sure the call hasn’t dropped.

And then my dad speaks…

“Oh, Paige,” he murmurs. “Why didn’t you say something?”

“Does it matter? You said what you said, and I heard.”

“Of course it matters,” he chokes out, emotion seeping through each word. “It matters because that was over fifteen years ago, and this entire time, you thought I didn’t want you when that’s the furthest thing from the truth. Oh my God,” he sobs, making my body tense up because I wasn’t expecting that kind of reaction from him.

I thought he’d be shocked, maybe embarrassed, but I didn’t think he’d be…upset.

“I didn’t know,” he says. “I didn’t understand why you’d pushed me away. I thought it was because you were grieving your mother’s death, and then I moved us out of London, which I knew you were upset about. But now, it all makes sense.”

“I was grieving Mom, and I was mad that you’d moved us,” I tell him. “But I was also upset that you didn’t want me. I know Mom and I were closer because you traveled a lot for work, but I thought we had our own special relationship. But then you told her you never wanted me, never wanted a family, and?—”

“I didn’t mean it,” he says, his words making me dizzy.

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