Page 106 of Fall I Want
“Yeah, would you like some?”
I shake my head. “You know shitty coffee isn’t my thing.”
She shrugs and turns to my father. “Would you like a cup?”
“No thanks,” he tells her. “Shitty coffee isn’t my thing either.”
“I see where you get it from.” Four steps later, the door clicks closed.
I sit in the fake leather chair beside the bed and he stares at me.
“How have you been?” he asks.
“Surviving,” I say. “About the interview—”
He shakes his head. “When I thought my heart was giving out, my life, along with my mistakes, flashed in front of my eyes. The biggest regret I had was how I’d treated you.”
“Dad.”
“Please, let me finish.”
I nod.
“I realized I’ve treated you the way my father treated me, and I owe you an apology. I promised your mother that I’d always give you and Harper the choice to do things and not force you for the benefit of the company. I’d forgotten about that until I thought I was dying. I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry too.”
“No, you’ve been through enough and I wasn’t there to support you. In the future, if there is something you don’t feel comfortable doing, then don’t. That even includes attending my wedding.”
“Thank you.”
Whooshing and phaser gun sounds from the TV briefly pull our attention away. I glance back at my father as he grabs the remote and mutes it.
I glance back at my father. “I’ll be there. I’m picking up my tuxedo on Wednesday and am flying out with Autumn that afternoon.”
“You seem good for one another,” he says. “Harper believes the two of you will get married. Seeing you together, I believe that too.”
I smirk. “When you met Mom, did you know?”
He adjusts one of his pillows. “Yeah. The moment our eyes locked, it was intense. I didn’t know anything about her and didn’t care. True love.”
“Like lightning in a bottle?”
“That’s one way to describe it.” He sucks in a deep breath. “Just because I’m getting married again doesn’t mean I’m erasing your mom.”
“I know,” I tell him, knowing he waited nearly twenty years before moving on. “She would’ve wanted you to be happy.”
“Yeah. I do wish things had been different though.”
“We all do. But we can’t change what happened. We can only move forward.”
Dad grins. “You’ve always been smart. I’m proud of you, son. I don’t say that enough. Your mother would be proud.”
Before I can respond, the door clicks open and Autumn enters with a Styrofoam cup in her hand. She crosses the room toward me and sips it with a straight face.
“How does it taste?” I ask, amused by how well she’s handling it.
“Great.” She drinks more, but I can tell she’s lying by how her lip slightly twitches. “Want some?”
