Page 96 of Sweet Escape
“Hell no. That woman has all the best years of my life tied up with a pretty little bow. We’ve had a beautiful life and made a beautiful family together. Ain’t nothin’ else out there for me. Besides, she made me promise we’d go at the same time, and I’ve never broken a promise to your Mama. I ain’t about to start.”
“Bit hypocritical, don’t you think? I’m supposed to move on, but you wouldn’t do the same?”
“It’s different for us, son. We’ve had a whole lifetime together. You still have so much to look forward to. You’ve got Emmy and another little girl on the way. You’ve got Livie, too, if you’ll just open your heart. God willing, you have many more years ahead of you, and they can be the best years of your life if you let them.”
As we walk hand-in-hand down the cobblestone path toward the barn, I glance at Olivia’s sunlit silhouette. Her freckles are more pronounced after so much time spent in the summer sun.
I swear she’s only gotten more beautiful as the days pass, or maybe I’m just falling a little deeper every day. It’s not love, but something adjacent, and for the first time, I don’t feel that pang of guilt when I hold her hand.
Olivia pulls up short as we approach the paddock. The sight that greets us stops her in her tracks. Pops has one foot propped up on the fence, and his arms are draped over the top. Nick is at his side, mirroring his posture.
“What’s going on?” she asks incredulously. “Why is my dad here?”
“If I had to guess, I’d say they’re making amends.”
“W-what do you mean?”
“They’ve been talking. Turns out at least some of what happened all those years ago was a misunderstanding. The rest was pride. They’ve grown since then, and I think they both realize some things are more important than some stupid feud.” I slide my hand over her belly.
Nick turns, locking eyes with his daughter. He clamps a hand on my dad’s shoulder. “We’ll talk later, Russ. I have some more making up to do.”
Olivia’s hand trembles in mine as her chest rises and falls in a staccato rhythm.
“Go. Talk to him. I’ll be right over there if you need me.” I gesture toward my dad with our joined hands, then bring them to my lips. “Promise.”
Olivia
Wilder lets go of my hand, and I immediately want to reach for him again. He’s been a comfort to me from the very beginning. The instinct to lean on him for support is now deeply ingrained, but I have to be able to stand on my own two feet. I won’t have Wilder to depend on forever.
“Hey kiddo,” Dad says, approaching tentatively with his hands in his pockets. “How are you doing?”
“Is that really how you want to start this off? Small talk?”
“No, I ‘spose not.” He kicks up dirt with his battered work boots, and I have to look away for a moment to regain my composure.
I’m still angry over how he handled things, but I think I’m more upset that he hasn’t tried to reach out in months. If I’m being honest with myself, I missed him, but that doesn’t mean I’m not furious.
“How? How could you so easily cast me aside, Dad?” Despite my best efforts, the words still come out choked, every pent-up emotion I’ve held onto for months spilling out of me. “I never expected you to be so heartless.” I scream out the last word, the first tear slipping free.
He places both hands on my shoulders, steadying me. I want my dad; I want the man who used to kiss my boo boos and tell me everything would be okay. When I look at him now, I just see one more person who broke my heart.
“I’m sorry. I know I fucked up, Liv. I ain’t got a good reason for what I did ‘cept to say I’m a stubborn son-of-a-bitch, and I made a mistake. But I wanna make it up to you. What can I do to fix this?”
He sounds sincere. Part of me wishes he’d fight with me, blame me, make me hate him more, but there’s still a little girl inside me who just wants her dad back.
My shoulders slump. A little of the fight leaves me, replaced by a solemn, persistent emptiness. I’ve never felt pain like this, not even when Amber and Jake betrayed me. This is something else. “I… I really don’t know.”
“Your mom told me you’re having a girl. I’m happy for ya.”
“Are you really?”
“I only want what’s best for you. You have that in spades. I see that now. Wilder’s a good man. I fucked up and I’ll atone for it tenfold. Just give me a chance.”
I nod. I don’t know how our relationship will ever come back from this, but I’d only be hurting us both if I didn’t give him a chance to make things right. “Her name is Gracie. Gracie Mae Hayes.”
“Mae? Like my mama?”
“Yeah, Dad. Like Gran.” He pulls me to him, his strong arms enveloping me in one of his big bear hugs. I didn’t know how much I missed it until this very moment, my body melting into the embrace.
