Page 185 of The Young & the Sinner

“Then I guess you need to make a decision. If you really think you can’t forgive him, or even take him back, then you need to let him go so you both can move on. Max told me Mason doesn’t plan on doing anything until you forgive him. I’m pretty sure he would give you years to think about it, but that’s not fair to either one of you.”

The pinching sensation around my heart that had been accompanying me these past few weeks grew to the point where I almost couldn’t breathe.

“How do I decide?”

Dad tapped a single finger on the edge of the table. My eyes followed the movement, taking in the gleam of his wedding ring. Then he said the oddest thing. “You flip a coin.”

“What?”

He smiled. “You flip a coin. If you ever find yourself stuck between two hard choices, just flip a coin.”

“Flip a coin? You would leave making life-changing decisions to a coin flip?”

“No, of course not. I’m saying you flip a coin, and whatever side of the coin you hope it lands on while it’s in the air is the decision you should make.”

“Flip a coin,” I repeated. “Hmm, that sounds like a bunch of bullshit.”

“Language,” he said with a laugh.

I laughed, too.

And I didn’t stop. Not even with tears streaming down my face, I continued to laughed, feeling too much like a maniac, and Dad was looking at me like I’d lost it. Maybe I had.

I didn’t know when my laughter morphed into tears. I was silently crying for the second time in a coffee shop. His expression changed to alarm, then worry, which only made me cry harder.

“I don’t know what to do, Dad.”

His eyes widened when I called him that, but I was thankful he didn’t comment or make a big deal out of it.

Instead, he stood up and came over to my side of the booth. Then he wrapped his arms around me, and suddenly, I was twelve again. I was daddy’s little girl, and as long as he was around, I didn’t have to worry.

I cried harder into his chest.

“Shh, my sweet girl. Everything will work out, I promise you. I’m here with you. I promise.”

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