Chapter 20 #3
Placing his face in his hands, a sob ripped from his throat. With a croak, he said, “Thank you, Eli. I don’t deserve kindness from either of you.”
My heart split in two. No matter what had happened, he was still my father, and it pained me to see him hurt.
Sliding an arm around his shoulders, I rested my cheek against him.
When was the last time I’d touched him? I didn’t remember.
“Dad, I’m willing to try. Let’s handle this together and get you the support you need.
” I had to forgive. Carrying around all the mistrust and walls I’d built had been exhausting and unhealthy. I see that now.
“Thank you, son.” Turning toward me, Dad wrapped me up in a warm hug. “I’ll give you whatever you need from me. I promise.” As he freed me, he said, “I’m thinking of moving back to the Bay Area when this is over. The house lease expires in May.”
I blinked. “I-I’m moving with Eli when he gets his NFL contract, so I don’t know where I’ll be.” My chest pinched. Would our reconnecting continue after we moved away from each other again?
With a nod, he said, “I’m thinking of leaving the house here to Karen. I don’t want it, and I think it’ll placate her.”
“Where is she now?” Eli hooked a brow.
“She’s staying with her parents and took Stuart with her.” Dad’s lower lip trembled. “It almost feels like I lost a child.”
“You did.” Patting Dad’s back, Eli said, “For nine months, you thought of Stuart as your son and even for a few months after he was born. You watched him come into this world and treated him as if he were yours. So of course, it’s devastating to find out he’s not.”
Dad sucked in a breath.
“What will you do about that situation?” I studied him. Would he still want to be involved in Stuart’s life? Could I blame him after Eli’s statement? It was complicated.
“I don’t know. I guess I’ll figure it out in therapy.” He freed a soft chuckle and patted Eli’s knee. “I’d like to quit drinking once and for all too, but that’s a different issue.”
My heart soared. I couldn’t believe the words I was hearing from Dad’s mouth.
But he’d gone through a life-changing event.
I hoped it was enough for him to keep his word.
Only time would tell. “Dad, I’m sorry you’re going through this, but I think in the end, if we do the work, it’ll be good for us. ”
“Yes, I think so too, son. I love you, you know that, right?” A grin ghosted across his lips.
“I-I do.” I did now. He came to me when his life imploded. “Love you, too.” I gave him a side-hug.
Whispering in my ear, Dad said, “Maybe I’ve lost a son, but I’m hoping I’ve gained one too.”
After speaking about logistics with Dad regarding therapy, we saw him off, and I dropped onto the couch again. “I have to call my mom.” It was late, but this was too important.
“Yes, I think that’s a good idea.” Eli rummaged in my kitchen. “Can we drink some of this wine, or will Grace be upset?” He held a bottle of her chardonnay up.
“Drink it. I’ll buy her a fresh bottle tomorrow.” I plucked my phone from the coffee table and called Mom.
In a groggy voice, Mom said, “Hello?”
“Mom, were you sleeping?” How late was it? I checked the time in the corner of my phone. It was only ten.
“I just got into bed. I have to be up early to show a house,” she said. “What’s up? Are you okay?”
“Yes, more than okay. You’ll never guess what happened.” I took the wine glass Eli held out to me.
Eli fell in beside me, loosely crossing his legs and sipping his wine.
“What?” Mom cleared her throat.
“Dad was just here at my apartment. I guess Karen cheated on him with some contractor they’d hired for the house in the East Bay, and Dad found out Stuart is not his baby.” Damn, I’d just blurted it all out. I drank some wine.
Her breath caught. “No…Are you serious?”
“I’m very serious.” I glanced at Eli. “Mom, I’m putting you on speaker. Eli is here with me.” I tapped on the phone. “He wants a divorce, and he doesn’t want me to sign the revision to the trust. And the best part? He wants to reconcile our relationship and will do therapy with me.”
Mom paused and then said, “Oh, honey, that’s great news. It sounds like this was the wake-up call he needed.”
“Yes, sounds like it was.” I patted Eli’s knee. Thank God he’d been with me when Dad had shown up. Should I mention the drinking bit? Maybe I’d leave it out for now. I didn’t want to dredge up old difficulties for Mom. “Mom, do you think he’ll stick to his word?”
“I…” She clicked her tongue. “I’ll be honest. I don’t know. I certainly hope so. I had couples counseling with him before our divorce, and he did well with it, but it didn’t stick.” She chuckled. “Maybe it will this time.”
“Yeah, maybe.” It was all I could have hoped for. “Anyway, you don’t have to talk to Aunt Nadine about the trust anymore.” I peeked at Eli, sitting contentedly next to me. “I’ll let you go back to bed now.”
“Okay, well, good night, and I’m glad things are working out between you and your father. I’m sorry for what he’s going through, but…it is what it is,” Mom said.
“Goodnight, Mom, love you.” I ended the call and set my phone on the coffee table. “Eli, in the morning, you’ll have to tell me what happened tonight was real because I’ll think it was a dream.”
“Guess I’m spending the night?” He arched a brow and tapped his wineglass on mine. “Here’s to a healthy relationship with your father.”
“Yes.” With a grin, I placed a lingering kiss on his mouth.