5. Making Up For Lost Time
CHAPTER 5
Making Up For Lost Time
H eath studied his daughter. The girl had raced in like a cyclone, although she’d stopped to kick off her boots.
He’d seen the concerned glance she’d shot at Addy and then she’d moved herself to her mom’s side as if to protect her.
She deserved nothing but the truth. “I am. I’m Heath Wilcox, and I can’t tell you how happy I am to meet you.”
Nina scowled at him and crossed her arms in front of her. “If you were happy about it, maybe you should have done something about it, I don’t know, maybe twelve years ago.”
Her fierce sarcasm had him smiling ruefully. “You’re right. I should have.”
Addison reached out to touch Nina’s arms. “Nina. It’s okay. There’s a complicated story involved.”
Another woman entered the room behind Nina, concern written all over her face, but after only a glance to make sure she wasn’t a threat, Heath turned his attention back to Nina.
“How complicated can it be? You tried every year since I was born to get in touch with him. And before that, too. He ignored everything. Ignored both of us.”
Heath opened his mouth to reply, but Nina rolled on. “Do you have any idea how hard it was on her? She didn’t have anything or anyone. She gave up everything for me. She might have been living on the streets for all you cared. Do you have any idea how much she sacrificed for me? How much she still sacrifices? How could you do that to her? To us?”
Tears streamed down his daughter’s face, and he wanted to pull her in for a hug, but that wasn’t his right.
Addy tugged Nina’s hand until the girl, who was almost the same size as her mom, sat in her lap. Addy wrapped her arms around her. “Let it out, Nina. It’s okay. Let it out, and then we’ll talk.”
Nina turned into her mom and sobbed, and Heath wasn’t sure he’d ever felt so helpless in his life. His heart might have been shattered when he’d thought Addy had turned her back on him. Now, that heart lay on the bottom of his soul in sharp-edged pieces that shredded him.
As her sobs quieted, Addy spoke to her in a hushed voice. “He didn’t know, Nina. He didn’t know about you until today.”
“But we sent him all those packages. We called and emailed.”
“You’re right. We did. But he didn’t get any of them. Someone messed with his phone and he didn’t get any of them. Not even one. He would have been there, Nina. He would have been there for you. But he didn’t know.”
Addy’s words pierced his grief. She had his back. A hundred percent of it. Until a few hours ago, she’d thought he’d turned his back on her. Now, not only was she proving she believed him, but she was defending him and supporting him to her daughter.
Addy Syrette was still the best person he knew. His parents had so damn much to answer for.
Eventually, Nina raised her head. The woman he hadn’t met yet grabbed the tissues from the living room and passed the box. All three women grabbed some, and then he leaned over to take some for himself.
Nina stared at him as he wiped the tears away. “Your mom’s right, Nina. I would have been there for every moment. I’m so damn sorry I missed out on you. I’ve lost so much time with you, time we can never get back. But I promise you, I will be there for you from now on. I hope you’ll give me a chance to get to know you. From everything your mom has told me, you’re a pretty spectacular human being.”
Nina’s dark eyes studied him for a long moment, and she looked from him to Addy several times. Finally, she nodded. “If mom thinks it’s okay.”
Addy squeezed her tightly. “It’s more than okay. I always told you your dad was a good man. He’s proven that to me again today.”
He nodded. “I’m moving to Phail.” He shook his head lightly. “Has no one ever thought of changing the name of this place? That sounds awful.”
Nina grinned at his comment, and that broke the tension. He knew there would be lots of tense moments ahead as he got to know his daughter, but he was thrilled that his offhand comment earned him a grin.
When Nina eyed the plate in front of Addy, he sat straighter. “Are you hungry? Can I get you a plate? I made lots.”
Nina’s eyebrows shot up. “You cooked?”
He nodded. “Your mom needed her rest, and I figured a meal couldn’t hurt.”
As if she’d just remembered her mom’s asthma attack, she leaped off Addy’s lap and squatted at her side. “I’m sorry, I forgot. How are you feeling?”
Addy laughed and stroked Nina’s hair. “I’m fine. There have been bigger things to deal with today, but I’m good.”
Nina turned her serious gaze on him. “Did you make her tea? Did you make sure she was warm and had a blanket? Did you keep her stress low? Her body isn’t always as strong as she pretends it is.”
Heath nodded. “I helped her do all those things. Although we were both pretty stressed for a while there as we figured out neither of us had been ignoring the other. It’s been a lot to handle.”
He studied Addy. “I remember the asthma, but I don’t remember it being this severe or you having a heart condition.”
Nina answered. “Her heart got hurt when she was pregnant with me.”
Addy brushed her hand over Nina’s hair again. “I’m fine, and it wasn’t your fault. It’s just a condition that develops during pregnancy. It’s all healed now. Besides, you’re worth it.”
They grinned at each other, and Nina rolled her eyes. “You always say that.”
“Because it’s always true.”
Heath knew he’d have to find out more about this condition, but it wasn’t the time. How sick had she been during the pregnancy? Had her foster family let her stay with them? Had she been on her own?
From the little he knew, she’d been alone until she’d met Nimii, and he wanted to kick his own ass. He should have found a way.
Addy looked over at him and smiled softly. “I’m fine, and it wasn’t that big of a deal. Don’t beat yourself up over it.”
Proving she could still read his thoughts.
Nina and the other woman snorted at Addy’s words. Apparently, it most definitely was a big deal. One he intended to find a lot more about.
But Addy’s expression appeared strained. She still didn’t enjoy being the center of attention. So, he turned back to Nina. “How about it? Want to test out my cooking? And how about you introduce me to your friend?”
Addy smiled softly at him, knowing exactly what he was doing. Nina stood. “I’d love to test your cooking. And this is Nimii Theriault. She’s mom’s best friend and my aunt.”
Nimii hugged Nina and reached out her hand. “Nice to meet you, Heath.” But he could tell she was reserving judgment.
“Nice to meet you, Nimii. Thank you for being such a good friend to my girls.” That had slipped out, but he didn’t regret it. They were his girls, and he was going to make sure he would be the one to protect them from now on.
A couple of hours later, Addy was ready for bed. By herself. Although she had to admit her libido had woken up from its twelve-year slumber. No man had ever appealed to her like Heath had when they’d been teens. And that appeal hadn’t lessened.
Tall, strong, muscled. Moved with that athletic grace he’d always had. But none of that would have mattered if it weren’t for the kindness in his eyes. The way he studied Nina as if committing her to memory. Over supper, he’d asked her endless questions about her interests.
Because those were many and varied, the conversation had moved from horses to climate change to space travel to music to knitting. He’d been fascinated by it all. Hearing his rumbly laugh had woken her up in all kinds of ways.
Which was ridiculous. He’d been back in her life for the better part of a day, and part of her wanted to drag him to her bedroom and have her way with him. Despite the remaining scars left on her heart.
She believed him. He hadn’t known about Nina and that had taken such a burden off of her heart. He hadn’t abandoned her. Hadn’t abandoned Nina.
She could see the sorrow in his eyes, in the lines on his face. The yearning as Nina talked about projects she’d done. He’d missed it all, and nothing could ever make up for that.
Addison couldn’t imagine not having her heart and memory filled with Nina. She wanted that for Heath but she didn’t know how to accomplish it.
She tried to hide a yawn, but Nina patted her legs where they were tucked together under a blanket. “Time for Mom to sleep.”
Heath immediately stood up, looking chagrined. “I’m sorry. I should have remembered what the doctor said. I’ve kept you talking for hours.”
Addison laughed. “I think the talking has been mostly Nina.” Then she grinned at Nimii, and in unison, the two of them added. “As usual.”
Nina laughed and shrugged.
Heath laughed, too. He had a really great laugh. “I loved every minute.” Sincerity rang through his words.
They trooped into the kitchen. Heath looked around as if checking to make sure he and Nina had cleaned up everything. They had.
Nimii hugged both Nina and Addison. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
Heath leaned forward like he wanted to hug them as well, but he sighed and leaned back. “Thank you. Thank you both for today. It’s been amazing. Can I see you again soon? Is tomorrow too soon?”
His gaze tracked from Addison to Nina and back. Nina nodded slowly. “It’s Saturday, so I don’t have school. I’m going to work with Kimi for a few hours in the morning.”
He nodded. “Can I take you both to lunch after that? I’ll pick you up, and we can get your car.”
Another slow nod from Nina had him grinning like a schoolboy with a new skateboard.
After another round of awkward goodbyes, he ran his hand down Addison’s arm and then ducked out the door.
Nimii smiled and whispered. “I like him.” And then she was gone, too.
For a long minute, neither she nor Nina moved. Then she turned to her daughter and pulled her in for a hug. They swayed back and forth for a full minute, but Nina didn’t pull away or break into tears.
When she shifted, Addison locked the door, then steered them back to their spot on the couch, grateful Nina wasn’t too old to cuddle with her mom yet.
Once they settled, she dove in. “How you doing?”
Nina leaned her head back on the couch and stared at the ceiling. “I wanted to hate him. I know you always said you loved him and that he was a good man, but I wanted to hate him. I wanted to hate him for letting you go through all of that alone. I wanted to hate him for never wanting me.”
Addison stroked Nina’s hair and waited with her heart breaking for her daughter.
“But he didn’t know about us. Do you really believe him?”
That was an easy one to answer. “I do. I always thought it was weird he never responded, even once. If nothing else, he has great manners, and it seemed so rude.”
Nina snorted a laugh. “Of all the traits I ever hoped my dad would have, great manners are at the top of the list.”
Addison laughed. “It should be up there. He always treats people with respect, with no regard for their race, gender, or financial status. That goes a long way in my book.”
Nina turned her head to look at her. “Did a lot of people treat you badly because we’re Ojibwe? Or because you were a foster kid?”
Addison shrugged, not able to lie to her daughter. “Some. There’s a lot of hate and fear in the world. People strike out at what they don’t understand, at people who are different from them.”
Nina turned back to the ceiling with a sigh. “I don’t get it. I’m really glad you moved here to Phail. I’ve never had to face any of that stuff. People like people or don’t like people because of who they are and how they act. None of it’s because of something dumb, like money or culture.”
“I was so lucky to become friends with Nimii and Ginny. Phail has been very good for both of us.”
They sat for a few minutes in silence, both lost in their thoughts. When she spoke again, Nina’s voice was soft. “I really liked him tonight. He’s funny and smart. He didn’t treat me like a little kid. I think he was interested in what I had to say.”
“Well, you are a fascinating person.”
Nina laughed. “True.”
Another few minutes later, she added. “Maybe it’s his good manners, but he gave me the impression he treats everyone like that. Is it okay that I want to go for lunch with him? Do you want to? We can always cancel if you don’t want to go.”
Addison leaned over and kissed Nina’s hair. “I do want to go. Heath is a good man, and he’ll do his best to be a good father to you. I think lunch is a good idea.”
Nina nodded again. “It’s weird.”
That made Addison laugh. “Extremely weird. I hope no one else saw me yelling at him in the parking lot this morning.” Oops, she hadn’t meant to say that out loud.
Nina turned to look at her with her mouth dropped open. “You yelled at him? I’ve never heard you yell. You don’t get angry.”
Addison’s face flushed. “Apparently, I do. I probably sounded like a screech owl and he didn’t have a clue what I was talking about.”
Nina grinned. “I wish I’d seen it. Maybe someone took a video.”
That was a horrifying thought. “If they do, I’ll empty your college fund to buy it from them.”
Nina laughed. “We could post it on your website. Addison Syrette, screech owl . You could even change your pen name from A. Migizi to A. Gookookoo’oo.”
She knew Nina was joking, but the thought of anyone seeing her screech was horrific. “Not a chance. I’ll stick with the word for eagle.” She thumped her own head back on the couch. “It’s definitely been a weird day.”
Nina laughed and snuggled in. “It sure has. I met my dad, and I like him.”
And that was a good ending to what might have been the worst day of her life.