Page 129 of Altered

"The real-life kind." Dad laughed. "You're the storyteller in the family, Hope. I'm just a man reminiscing about three people I used to know."

"What happened to the women in the story?"

Dad sighed before saying, "The first woman ended up where bad fucking women end up."

"And the second?"

Then he smiled. "The second one is upstairs in this house, Hope. Your mother."

"So you chose mom?"

"Not exactly," he replied. "Once I opened my eyes and my mind, and forgot about all of the bullshit and judgment, I realized there had never been a choice to make at all."

"You know? I think that's the first time in my life I've heard you talk about this."

"I prefer actions over talking," he shot back with a smirk. "I'm working on making her happy. I made a promise to myself a long time ago that I'd never stop working for her, fighting for her. I'd never take my foot off the gas when it came to making that woman fall in love with me."

"Dad, I think you're pretty safe. She married you and had like a half dozen of your babies."

"Taking her for granted is something I won't ever do, Hope. It's a feeling only a man who has come to the brink of losing his lifeline can understand. When it's real love, it hurts and it's hard, sweetheart. It's an uphill struggle, filled with hard decisions, second guessing yourself, and if you're lucky, moments of pure fucking heaven. Doing what's right and what's rightfor youare two entirely different things. Remember that."

Silence fell over us as I thought about everything my father had just told me.

"Dad?" I finally said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah?"

"Don't push too hard with Cameron."

My father's brows shot up in surprise. "Cam?"

"Yeah." I nodded, thinking back to the earlier episode. "I've seen them together, and it's intense…" Pausing, I shrugged before adding, "Reminds me a lot of you and Mom."

Dad's brows furrowed at my words. "How'd you figure that?"

"She's broken, and he's hell bent on putting her pieces back together," I explained with a small smile. "He's all in with that girl, Dad. If you force his hand, hewillwalk away from us."

"Would you?" Dad asked. "Would you walk away from your family for Luck?"

My automatic reaction was to sayno, because I knew that's what he wanted me to say, and I wanted to please him, but I stopped myself. I was trying this new thing where I was honest. "I wouldn’twantto," I said carefully. "But I absolutely would – if it came down to it."

Dad stared hard at me for the longest time before smiling. "That's how you know you've made the right choicefor you."

"Dad?" I asked after another long pause of silence.

"Yeah?"

"There's something I need to do," I confessed. "Something I have to tell him… something bad."

"Lucky?"

I nodded and swallowed down a huge swell of fear. "And I'm terrified of what will happen when I do."

I couldn’t keep it from him any longer.

He needed to know about the pregnancy.

But I was so scared.

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