Page 139 of Second-Rate Superstar
Michelle eyed me quizzically. “Then, why did you?”
Giving her a sad smile, I shrugged. “I guess I just need closure.”
She sighed. “I understand. For the record, I would have welcomed you into our life with open arms. You’re as much a part of this family as any of us. I’m sorry things weren’t how they should have always been.”
Wiping the tears from my cheeks, I nodded. “Thank you.”
Almost as if on cue, a door slammed down a distant hallway before a voice I hadn’t heard in person for over a decade boomed, “Michelle! What’s for dinner? This boy’s starved!”
Taking a shaky breath, I stood. This was my moment of truth.
Hank Danielson turned the corner and stopped dead in his tracks. His appearance had changed since I was a child. His blond hair was gone, and he sported a bald head; whether that was by choice or not, I didn’t know and didn’t care. He was still broad, but now that his playing days were over, he wasn’t as bulky, instead sporting a leaner physique.
Scanning my face, I saw the moment recognition lit in his blue eyes, and he stumbled back as if he’d been struck.
“What are you doing here?” His voice was gruff, the same as I remembered.
Michelle narrowed her eyes at her husband, shouting, “Hank! Is that any way to speak to the daughter you haven’t seen in years?”
His gaze slid to her, and a rumble worked its way up his chest. “Sorry.” He cleared his throat. “Just surprised, is all. It’s been a while.”
“Yeah.” I shuffled on my feet, willing myself not to wither under his intense stare.
“Do you need money?”
“Hank! For the love of God!” Michelle threw her hands up in the air.
“No.” I shook my head. “All I want is a minute of your time. If we could talk? Maybe somewhere private? Then I’ll leave. And I won’t be back.”
“Dakota.” Michelle touched my arm. “You don’t have to go.”
“It’s fine. I know my place.”
She sighed, resigned, and my dad gestured to a door off the side of the living room for me to go inside ahead of him. It turned out to be an office furnished in dark mahogany with burgundy accents. Very masculine for a macho man like my dad.
The door clicked shut behind me, and I twitched. Nerves fluttered in my belly, but I steadied them with a hand pressed there as Dad walked around me and sat in the chair behind the desk. It felt like I was on trial the way he stared silently, waiting for me to plead my case. But in reality, all I wanted to do was share how his actions had impacted my life, thus releasing the power they held over my future. Only then could I try to fix what I’d broken in my relationship with Braxton.
He sat back in his chair, surveying me. “I’ve heard you’re running around with that Slate boy. Seems like you’ve done all right for yourself.”
I scoffed. “Is that how you measure worth? By whom you attach yourself to? Who has the most money or notoriety?” I huffed out a wry laugh. “Worked out so well for Mom,wouldn’t you say?”
Dad groaned, rubbing a hand over his face. “What do you want, Dakota?”
“I came for closure. You ruined my mom’s life, and I’ve made a conscious decision not to let you ruin mine as well.”
Dad puffed out his chest. “I did right by your mother.”
“Oh yeah?” I challenged. “How do you figure? Putting a ring on her finger and giving her your last name was pretty damn worthless when you were screwing around on her the entire time. How about leaving her broke when you left? You didn’t give a shit about her, or me for that matter, not caring about what happened to us in the aftermath. Shelovedyou. Damn if I know why, but she did. For years, she was convinced you were coming back. Refusing to sell the house with all your memories, not allowing herself to move on and be happy with someone new.”
“I’m sorry. Is that what you want me to say?” His tone didn’t indicate that he was apologetic. Instead, it betrayed he was merely trying to placate me.
“I don’t need your bullshit lip-service apology. I don’t want it. All I came here to do was clear the air. To let you know how I feel so thatIcan move on with my life. So that the black cloud you left behind doesn’t mar my future.”
He folded his arms over his chest. “Well, then. Tell me.”
“I think you’re a coward,” I spat, satisfaction coursing through me when his jaw ticked. “You were more scared about optics when you should have let my mom go so she could start fresh. Considering you forced single motherhood upon her in the end, what was the point in delaying the inevitability? Oh, that’s right, because you’re selfish. You were only looking out for yourself and how it would look foryourimage if you had a baby mama floating around out there. Honestly, I wish she had never told you she was pregnant. We would have been better off without youfrom the start. I would have been happier never knowing who my father was. Because guess what? Not having a father in my life at all is better than what I got. I’ve witnessed firsthand what agoodfather looks like. God, is it beautiful to witness a man's unconditional love for his child—something I never received from you. So, this is it. From this day forward, I’m going to forget you ever existed. You will be erased from my memory because you have no place in my future.”
My chest heaved, but a heavy weight had been lifted, and each consecutive breath became easier. I was closing this chapter and choosing to move forward with a clean slate.
