Pulse

Chapter 25

Dahlia

“That ain’t necessary,” Burt grumbles. “I’m not doing it. I don’t care how many times you ask.”

Burt sits in his recliner, eating a piece of chocolate cake I brought him from Hillary’s House. He’s unshaven, and his hair’s a mess. But his eyes are bright, and he’s still a piece of work, so I think he’ll be all right.

“But Burt …” I say, sticking out my bottom lip.

He scoffs. “Don’t come in here pouting with your little lip hanging out, your broken arm, and busted head. I had broken ribs and almost lost my spleen. I get the sympathy.”

Troy leans against the wall and watches Burt and I argue about him moving across town to be near us. We decided living at Troy’s was easier once the sun came up. Bigger house. Nicer house. Closer to work, assuming we still have jobs.

And no bad memories.

“You’re going to cost me a lot of time,” I say. “I hope you know that.”

“I’ve never asked you for nothing. If you waste your time, it ain’t because of me.”

“Damn you, Burt.”

“Damn you, Burt,” he says, mocking me. “I’m grouchy, all right. I’m …” He glances at the clock. “Fifteen minutes until I can get more pain meds.”

I stand, the red couch squeaking, and sigh.

Someone knocks on the door. Troy silently asks if he can answer it and Burt waves his hand in agreement.

“Hey,” Morgan says, bounding into the room. “That hottie next door said you were here. How are you feeling?” She looks around me. “Hey, Burtie.”

“Hey, babe.”

I stifle a laugh. Morgan’s eyes twinkle with mischief.

“How are you?” she asks me again.

“Fine. In some pain but, I mean, it probably just comes with the territory.”

“You’re really moving in with Troy?”

“Yes, she is. Don’t try to talk her out of it,” he says from across the room.

She looks at him and laughs. “I’m Morgan. I’m the best friend, not to be confused with Burt, the best neighbor. I’d love to have coffee with you this week so I can ensure you understand how much I love this girl, and if you ever hurt her, I will hurt you. Worse than you hurt Freddy.”

“Fuck Freddy,” Burt says.

“I’m assuming the man, and I do mean man, in Dahlia’s house is your brother because those genes are strong.”

“Yeah. That’s Travis,” Troy says.

“Well, Troy, since you and I are friends now, how about introducing me? I’m a catch.”

“She is,” Burt says, rocking in his chair. “Gives good sponge baths, too.”

Morgan and I laugh.

“Okay, since you’re alive and well …” She looks at Troy and then back at me. “And in what appears to be very capable hands, I’m going back to your house to flirt with Troy’s brother.”

“We need to go, too,” I say.

Morgan gasps. “At least give me ten minutes alone with him. Damn. Don’t cockblock me.”

She gives us no time to respond. She’s out the door as quickly as she came in.

I go to Burt’s chair and kneel beside it. He pats my hand and frowns.

“I’m sorry to see you go, sweet pea,” he says.

“I’m not gone yet.”

Troy makes a face that only I can see. I roll my eyes at him.

“We’re just getting the basic stuff today since we aren’t working,” I say. “It’ll be a couple of weeks before I’m completely out. But then I’m just a call away. And you better believe I’ll be here to celebrate all kinds of things. Like sunny days and that I got up in the morning, and we’ll have two pieces of cake when Troy makes me lift weights.”

Troy shakes his head, resolved to my hatred of weightlifting.

Burt shifts in his chair. “I’m sad to see you go, but I’m proud of you. I didn’t have any kids, thank God, but if I had, I’d hope I’d have a girl like you.”

“Damn you, Burt,” I say, sniffling.

He chuckles. “Come and see me.” He points at Troy. “You, too. I want to make sure you kids are all right.”

I stand, squeezing his wrinkled hand. “I’m sorry again for?—”

“Get her outta here, will ya?” Burt asks Troy.

Troy shakes Burt’s hand. “It was nice meeting you.”

“You, too.” Burt nods at him. “Happy to finally see her with someone who’s worthy of her. Take care of her. She’s my best neighbor.”

“I will. Don’t worry about that.”

Burt winks at me, then turns on his television.

Troy holds my hand as we leave.

We step onto the sidewalk beneath one of the massive trees lining the street. Our steps are slow and unrushed. It’s a nice change of pace from the past few days.

“Who’s that?” Troy asks, nodding to a dark-colored SUV crawling up the street. He shifts his body so that he’s between me and the SUV.

It rolls in front of my house and stops, and then my father steps out of the driver’s side door.

My heart pounds. I have no idea why he’s here. I haven’t talked to him since before I left town. After everything that’s happened, I’m not sure what he’ll say.

“Hi, Dahlia. Hello, Troy,” he says.

“How do you two know each other?” I ask.

My dad smiles. “We had a long chat last night.”

Is that so?

I look curiously at Troy. He doesn’t look at me.

Troy kisses my cheek. “If you’re okay, I’m going to make sure your friend hasn’t hogtied my brother.”

I laugh. “That’s a good plan.”

“Nice to see you, Mr. Dallo,” Troy says.

“Likewise.”

They shake hands before Troy walks off.

“How are you feeling?” he asks me.

“Just like you’d expect, only with pain meds.”

He nods, exhaling roughly. “Well, this isn’t how I thought we’d have this conversation someday. And it’s not the exact conversation I thought we’d have, either.”

“Wanna take a walk?” I ask.

He smiles. “I’d love to.”

We stroll through the neighborhood in silence. I don’t know what to say, and basic pleasantries feel wrong. We pass three houses before he speaks.

“I’m getting a divorce,” he says.

“Wow. Strong lead.”

He chuckles. “I believe Alexis didn’t know that Freddy would go after you. Maybe she did. I’m not defending her. She’s certainly not innocent. She was having an affair with your boyfriend, of all people. And she made it very clear, both to others and to me last night when I confronted her about it, that she has major problems that I have a daughter.”

“I hate that. I want to apologize, but I didn’t ask to be born, you know?”

“I don’t want you to apologize. You’re the best thing that ever came from me.”

My gaze falls to the ground.

“I knew she didn’t love me when I married her,” he continues. “I’m not that self-absorbed to know that a woman like Alexis generally doesn’t fall in love with a man like me.”

“Did you love her?”

He shakes his head and shrugs. “No. I cared about her, yes. But I didn’t love her.”

“Then why did you marry her, if you don’t mind me asking?”

He kicks a rock into the gutter. “I didn’t get married to Alexis because I always hoped your mother would have a change of heart. I’m not blaming her for what happened. I was as adamant, maybe more, that you weren’t raised in the same world I grew up in. But a part of me secretly hoped that magic would happen and there would be a chance for us to be together.” He looks at me and smiles. “She was the great love of my life.”

I can’t stop the tears. I don’t even try.

“She was alone her entire life, and I think it was because she wanted to be with you,” I say. “It hurts me so much to know she died without ever feeling loved. You know?”

“Life is unfair. It can be so ugly and painful. Our love, Penelope’s and mine, was impossible. But the thing that would make both of us happy, and I do feel I can take the liberty to speak for her about this, is to see you find love. To see you happy.”

I sniffle, wiping my nose with the end of my shirt.

“I could’ve overlooked Alexis’s unfaithfulness,” he says. “I can overlook a lot. But she asked me to pick between you, and I picked you.”

My gaze snaps to his.

“I hope that we can have a father-daughter relationship someday. I want to be a part of your life, and I want you to be a part of mine. I want to know what kind of card to get you for your birthday and have a stocking in my house with your name on it. You’ll have kids that I want to know and love … if you’ll allow me the privilege.”

We stop and face each other, and I look at him differently. For the first time, I see a man who could be my dad, and not just my father.

“I’d like that a lot, too.”

“Great.”

We walk around the block, talking about all sorts of things—our first cars, my job, what he sees in the future for Dallo Metalworks. I found a way to ask him if he had cancer, like Freddy said. It turns out that Freddy was full of shit. Turns out that Freddy was responsible for everything done to me. And it sickens me to know that. It wasn’t a prank though. He was truly a sick, twisted bastard.

Our conversation flows easily, naturally, and by the time we return to my house, I feel like a weight has been lifted from me.

Troy is standing on the porch, waiting for me. “Our helpers just left to get brunch.”

“Brunch, huh?”

He chuckles and shrugs.

“I’m going to let you both go,” my father says, shaking Troy’s hand again. “Take care of my daughter, and I’ll see you Saturday?”

“Let me run it by Dahlia first, then I’ll let you know.”

My father hugs me gently, careful to avoid my injuries. “If you need anything, call me. You are my priority. I can’t fix my mistakes, but I can try not to make any more.”

“That’s all any of us can do.”

“I’ll see you.” He waves and heads to his car.

“Hey!” I call after him, as Troy slips an arm around my waist.

My father looks at me, his hand on the door.

“Thanks, Dad.”

He nods, his face wrinkling, and ducks in the car. We watch him drive away.

“What’s Saturday?” I ask as we return to my house.

“He wants to go golfing.”

“You golf? With your temper?”

He chuckles, shutting the door behind us. “I don’t love it. But when you’re with the Landrys, it’s a skill you somehow acquire.”

I busy myself packing up some of my things in the kitchen. Troy packs up my books in the living room. I love that he didn’t question that I needed them to go first.

I think through everything that has happened over the past week and how much my life has changed. It could’ve gone so horribly. I could’ve lost everything—even my life.

Things can change so fast. In the blink of an eye, in a heartbeat, things can go one way or the other. How much time did I waste on mediocre boyfriends? Mom and my dad wasted their whole lives hoping something would happen and they could be together. Alexis wasted the past three years trying to con her way into an inheritance.

I watch the man I love pack my romance books in totes. My very own hero.

I don’t want to wait to have the life I want. I want to live it now … with him.

“Hey,” I say.

He looks up. “Yeah?”

“I’m just letting you know that I want to have your baby.”

He drops a stack of books into the tote. “What are you telling me?”

“That I want to have your baby. I want to point at you across the soccer field and tell the other moms that you’re my baby’s daddy. I want to see you standing in the middle of the night feeding our daughter. And I want to watch you teach our son … not to drive. I’ll do that.”

He bursts out laughing.

“We didn’t have that childhood, but we can have that life together. That’s the life I want…with you. So what are we waiting for?”

He walks toward me, unbuttoning his shirt. “I’m not.”

I laugh as the door opens, and Morgan and Travis walk in. Troy’s face falls, and I laugh harder.

“Did we interrupt something?” Travis asks, looking between us.

Troy and I look at each other and smile.

“We have time,” I say softly.

He glances at the clock. “Fifteen minutes.”

“I meant the rest of our life.”

He turns to his brother and my friend. “You have fourteen minutes. Then we’re gone.”

My house is full of voices, laughter, and people I love. I already know I’ll love Travis. I loved him before I met him.

Troy pulls me into him, kissing the top of my head. “Have I told you lately that I love you?”

“It’s been probably twenty minutes.”

He chuckles. “I never thought I’d tell another person I love them, and I can’t tell you enough.”

“I love you right back.”