Page 44 of The Archer and his Rosebud

Drying off my hands, I motion for Willa to stay on the couch. “I’ll get it for you, continue feeding Clem.”

Swinging open the door, a man roughly my father’s age, though more refined, stands with an uneasy pinch to his creased forehead.

“Can I help you?”

“Oh, um. I think I might have the wrong apartment.” His head tilts, his eyes darting around me, but I narrow the open doorway so he can’t see inside. “Does Willa Hawthorne live here?”

I straighten my spine.Why do I want to tell him no?“Does she know you?”

He makes a face, his shoulders rotating back. “She does.”

His answer doesn’t put me any more at ease, especially since he’s not forthcoming with how, even if I didn’t specifically ask. “Can I give her a name of who you are?”

“Tim Hawthorne.”

Tim—

A sharp but muted gasp pulls my gaze over my shoulder. Color drains from Willa’s face, her stare paralyzed. I almost turn to tell the man I have a sneaking suspicion is related to Willa to leave when she stands, coming to my side. I swing the door wider, but I don’t move.

“Dad?” The title normally comes with warmth and fondness, but Willa doesn’t hug him, she doesn’t even smile. “What are you doing here?”

“Willa, hi. My goodness, you’re a woman.” His eyes, the same golden brown as hers, grow sentimental. “I, uh, heard that I have a granddaughter.” He points to Clem with a doting smile. “She’s beautiful.”

Holding her seated forward with Clem’s legs dangling, Willa moves her out of reach. “How did you find me?”

He rocks on his heels, slipping his hands in his pockets. “I spoke with your mom not too long ago. She said you were here for school, that you’d given birth to a daughter. What’s her name?”

Willa’s head shakes. “I’m sorry. You don’t get to know her. You don’t even know me.”

“That’s fair.” His eyes swing to me, my jaw set. This is clearly a personal conversation, but I can’t seem to force my legs to move. I have to fight the urge to place my hand on Willa’s back for moral support. He clears his throat. “I didn’t catch your name. Are you the father?”

I understand the assumption, but he really has no clue about his daughter’s life, does he?

Before I answer, Willa steps forward, leaving me behind her like she’s protecting me. “That’s enough. I understand why you’re here. I get the whole parental regret thing that I’m assuming sprouted when you realized your daughter is a grown woman with a child of her own, but you don’t get to ask those kinds of questions.”

He has the decency to give a sympathetic nod, and I have to hand it to him. Her dad doesn’t back down under her glare or mine. “Do you need anything? Can I help in any way? I mean… I’m three hours away, but that’s closer than the thirteen hours it was before.”

Clem squirms in Willa’s arms, and I quell my instinct to reach for her. With what knowledge I’ve gained of Willa over the last few months, she wouldn’t want me stepping in now, not in front of him.

With her shoulders squared, she lifts her head. “I’ve been managing without you for longer than I had you, and I don’t see that changing.”

His eyes soften. “Willa, I’m sorry. I know it’s strange having me show up out of the blue, but I was worried you wouldn’t answer my call or your door if I didn’t.”

“You should’ve at least given me the chance.”

His head swivels left and right. “Can we not do this in the hallway? May I come in? Please? I’d really like to talk with you.”

“Look, I get that you came all this way, but I’m not ready to sit down with you like nothing happened. And I’m really not comfortable inviting you into my home.” Willa turns Clem around, holding her closer to her chest, and Clem’s gaze finds me over Willa’s shoulder.

This time I close the gap and lift my fingers for her to hold. She latches on with a heart-melting smile, oblivious to the tension in the air.

“Okay. I’m staying at the Hilton.” Pulling his wallet from his back pocket, he slips out a business card with black lettering and holds it out. “Here’s my number if you change your mind.”

When Willa doesn’t take it, I do. Even if she never uses the number, I want her to have the option. He offers me a polite nod and waves before walking towards the elevator.

Willa shuts the door, but makes no effort to move.

“Willa?” I rest my hand not in Clem’s grasp, on Willa’s other shoulder.

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