Page 176 of Not Another Yesterday
“He handles things, Bobby,” my dad says, clipped. “He’s plenty responsible.”
“Yeah? You call getting my daughter pregnant at eighteen responsible?” Bobby asks, his anger finally breaking through the sarcasm.
“Jesus, Bobby, that was an accident,” my dad growls.
The air in the room turns sharp.
“Some accident,” Bobby mutters. “Seems Ronan’s prone to those. First he breaks Cat’s heart, then he gets her knocked up. Look, Ronan, I’m sure you’re a good kid, but I just don’t trust you with my daughter. And I sure as hell don’t know if I can trust you to take care of her and my grandbaby.”
“Dad, stop!” Cat says, anger threading through her voice. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t I?” He rises from his chair. “How can you be so sure Ronan’s good for you, Cat? Last I checked, you didn’t have the best track record picking good guys.”
He’s talking about Adam. That smug, controlling asshole who hurt her more than once. And the fact that Bobby’s comparing me to him?
That’s the last fucking drop.
“With all due respect, Bobby,” I say, repeating his words, my jaw so tight it hurts, “I would never lay a hand on Cat. And you keep talking about Cat’s baby—your grandbaby—like you forgot that the child she’s carrying is also mine. I have every intention of taking care of her and our baby.”
“Ronan, do you even know how to make a sandwich?” Bobby shouts. “Do you know how to do a load of laundry, boy?”
“I do,” I say, calm but steely. “I’ve been doing my own laundry since I was eight. Been cooking, cleaning, handling my own shit for a long fucking time—because if I didn’t, my mother would’ve beaten the living crap out of me.”
Bobby recoils, his face softening just a little—maybe remembering who the fuck he’s talking to.
“I get that you’re pissed at me. I fucked up. I admit that. And I’ll probably fuck up again, in one way or another. And yeah, Cat is too fucking good for me—believe me, I know that. But she chose me. For some insane reason, she picked me. And I will never stop being grateful. I will do everything in my power to take care of her the way she deserves. I love her, Bobby. More than anything or anyone in this world.
“I don’t know what I can do to change your opinion of me—and honestly, I don’t care to. You can think and feel whatever you want. The only thing that matters to me is how Cat thinks and feels. If she wants me to move in with you guys, I will. If she wants to stay at my apartment, then that’s where we’ll be. Fuck, if she asked me to build her a goddamn hut in the forest and go completely off-grid, I’d do it—because that’s how much I love her.
“Whatever happens, I’m going to make damn sure Cat and our baby are taken care of.”
Silence.
Then I add, a little softer, “You might also consider trusting your daughter a bit more. She’s pretty fucking smart. Her being hurt by some motherfucker doesn’t mean she’s bad at choosing good men. Abusers don’t walk around with signs telling you they’ve got rotten souls. If they did, my mother wouldn’t have gotten away with what she did for seventeen years.”
I turn to Cat. Her hazel eyes are glassy, full of emotion. She’s still holding my hand under the table.
“I’m done with this dinner whenever you are,” I say quietly.
She nods. “I’m ready to go,” she says, her voice cool, eyes locked on her dad. I’m glad I’m not on the receiving end of that death stare.
“No, guys, please don’t go yet,” Jen pleads, smacking Bobby’s shoulder hard as Cat and I rise from the table. “You’re an ass, Robert.”
I lead Cat out of the dining room.
“Give me five minutes. I’ll be right back down,” she says, brushing past my dad on her way upstairs.
“Ran, you don’t have to leave,” he says, his voice low. “Yeah, Bobby’s being a dick, but he’s just overreacting. He’s being a dad.”
“I get it, Dad. He’s protective of her. But so am I,” I say, keeping my tone even. “It’s probably best we just leave. Let things cool off for a bit, okay?”
He sighs. “Okay. For what it’s worth, bud, you’re doing great. I know you’re going to be a hell of a dad.”
He squeezes my shoulder, and I nod, grateful.
A moment later, Cat comes down the stairs with a backpack slung over one shoulder and that look on her face, the one that says she’s made up her mind and God help anyone who tries to change it.
Cat
