Page 80 of All That She Needs

When Asha spotted me, she let out a loud gasp. "Oh, shit. I forgot to tell you."

I offered a faint smile. "Yeah. Kayden told me yesterday."

Her eyes widened in genuine surprise. "Kayden? He talked to you?"

I wasn't shocked by her reaction—Kayden wanting to talk to me was nothing short of a miracle. "He came to the office."

She looked even more surprised. "Why? What for?"

"You'll have to ask him yourself. Is he in his room?" Asha nodded, still looking puzzled. "Mind if I go up?"

It took her a moment to gather herself, but I could see a glimmer of relief in her eyes. She was glad that Kayden was finally willing to talk to me. "Yeah," she said. "Go ahead."

I made my way over to Chloe first, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. She mumbled, "Hi, Dad... sorry," lookingjust as guilty as her mom for forgetting to tell me she was leaving. I hugged her tightly and whispered, "It's okay."

As I trudged across the room toward the stairs, I went over the words I'd been rehearsing to say to Kayden. I hoped he would listen—and that he might actually believe me.

I paused in front of his door, taking a steadying breath before knocking. Almost instantly, he shouted, "Come in." I reached for the handle, pressed it down, and opened the door to find Kayden packing his laptop into his backpack.

"Hey," I greeted him with a small smile.

Kayden straightened up, meeting my gaze. "Dad,"

"Everything packed already?" I asked as I walked further into the room.

"Yeah. Almost done," he replied, then sat down on the edge of the bed. I glanced around for a place to sit and settled on the chair in front of his desk.

"Are you ready to hear my answer now, son?"

He gave me a look that made it clear he'd been dreading this moment. The tension in his expression betrayed him, despite his attempts to hide it.

"First of all," I started, watching him closely. He nodded, his posture a bit more rigid. "The reason I'm giving you my answer today is because you asked me to wait. I could've given it to you yesterday, Kayden, because I've known my answer all along."

Kayden stayed quiet, but I could see the tension in his jaw as he listened. He was focused, taking in every word, even if he didn't respond.

I continued, "I know it's hard to believe anything I say, especially after disappointing you so many times in the past.But when you told me that day in the kitchen that you knew... it woke me up, son. I finally saw the truth about how awful I've been as a father to you and Chloe, and how terrible I've been as a husband." I paused for a moment to take a breath. "I'm not going to make excuses now, Kayden, nor will I justify what I did. I was tremendously wrong, and for you to still give me a chance to talk to you, I'm beyond grateful."

I searched his face for a reaction, hoping he could sense my sincerity. "But you were never a choice, Kayden. You're my child. I made a lot of mistakes, but I've always loved you. That will never change." I paused a moment to let that sink in. "You asked me why I didn't pursue her again. The reason is that I would never again hurt you, Chloe, and Asha, by forcing you to accept the very reason I broke this family in the first place. I don't want you all to be reminded of that, Kayden. It also reminds me too much of what I've lost."

Kayden's expression softened a bit, but I could still sense his uncertainty. "I know I've hurt you deeply, and I can't change the past. But I want to work toward a future where you won't carry that pain anymore. I understand if you find it hard to trust me right now, but I promise to prove it to you."

My son didn't say anything, and I started to worry that he didn't believe me, that he had decided he didn't want me in his life anymore. I waited in tense silence, watching his downcast face as he focused on the floor.

"Kayden—"

"You can call me or Chloe every morning, Dad," he said softly, lifting his gaze up to meet mine. "We can have a video call or something."

I was stunned for a moment before slowly, a broad grin spread across my face. It felt like I had just won the lottery."Really?" I whispered, knowing that if I spoke any louder, my voice would tremble.

"Yeah," he said, offering a tiny smile that felt like a warm embrace. I would have given anything to hug him at that moment, but I knew he wasn't ready for that yet. "We're going to Zermatt, Switzerland. You can check the time difference when you make the call."

"Okay," I grinned so wide my cheeks hurt. "I will call."

Kayden nodded, the smile still on his face. "I need to go take a shower now. Mom would kill me if she checked, and I still haven't."

"I'll wait downstairs." I rose from my seat. "Have fun skiing, son."

"Yeah." He stood up and headed straight to the bathroom attached to his room. "See you, Dad."

---