42. Chapter 39
Mari
D ad’s mouth fell open for a few seconds.
I took a breath in to speak but couldn’t find the words there to use.
Then, he smiled, big and wide. He pushed up off his chair and reached me in a few strides.
His big, still-calloused hands were warm on my bare arms as he stood in front of me, taking me in.
“It’s really you.” He beamed and pulled me in for a hug.
Guess today is a good day then.
I couldn’t help but hug him back, letting go of Chance’s hand and wrapping my arms around his strong frame.
“Hi, Dad,” I mumbled, blinking away the tears that always made an appearance in his company. Good or bad day, it had been the two of us for seventeen years now.
“I’ve missed you, Mari.”
That did it. The tears I had been fighting off were replaced by fresh ones as my dad held me tighter in his embrace.
Suddenly I wasn’t Mari, owner of Knock’s. Or Mari, JJ’s best friend. Or Mari, Marilyn’s granddaughter and namesake.
I was Mari, a ‘dad’s girl’.
I was Mari, a girl whose dad loved her.
I was Mari, a girl who just needed a hug from her dad.
“I missed you too, Dad,” I croaked.
To Chance’s credit, he didn’t back away awkwardly or make his presence known. He simply stood behind me, a small smile on his face, and waited.
“Wherever you need me to be—just say the words.”
I sniffled and pulled away, turning to bring Chance forward.
“Uh, Dad. I’d like to introduce you to someone.” I wiped one of my hands over my eyes, the mascara I’d stupidly put on this morning was definitely already smudged. “This is Chance. Chance Riordan.”
Dad looked Chance over, up and down, left to right. Chance was about two inches taller than Dad, but somehow made sure he wasn’t looking down at him. He stayed silent until Dad extended a hand, a joyful grin breaking out over his face.
“UFL 150, Darlington Harbour 2014,” he said, gripping Chance’s hand.
Chance, on the other side, had his jaw hanging wide open in shock and blue eyes beaming wide with surprise. “Yes, sir,” Chance replied slowly.
“You were there. You came up to me after the show and asked me how the hell you could ever land in my footsteps,” Dad continued, still gripping Chance’s hand.
Chance nodded, lips parted. His eyebrows flicked up to encourage Dad to continue.
“Do you remember what I told you?” he asked, finally dropping the handshake.
Chance’s pink, full lips tipped up at the corners in memory. “Yeah. You told me to find someone who you can well and truly fight for. Someone who completely changes the meaning of fighting,” he replied. “The UFL called and offered me a spot in the prelims on a fight night the very next week.”
“And did you? Find that someone?” Dad asked.
“I have now,” he replied. “I used to think you meant my team, but someone has recently opened my eyes.”
Dad smiled and gestured for us to follow him outside.
He gently opened the delicate glass French doors, waving a hand for me to go first. There were four intricately welded, weathered green chairs on the balcony.
Rectangular, long planter boxes draped over the railing, overflowing with blooming baby’s breath.
“Quite the garden you have here,” Chance commented, looking over the balcony and fingering one of the dainty flowers.
“Thank you.” Dad smiled, picking up a metal watering can.
“Baby’s breath is my wife’s favourite flower,” he added, as if he was talking about something as simple as the weather.
He pushed the thin spout of the watering can into the planter boxes one by one, pouring the same amount of water across each.
“That explains a lot, actually,” Chance replied, and my heart stuttered when this man bent down and sniffed the flowers.
“Like?” I asked.
“Your Nan has baby’s breath growing everywhere.” He shrugged. “I offered to help her trim them the other day, but she was adamant about it being her ‘Wednesday Job’.”
“You’ve met Marilyn?” Dad asked, sitting down on the other side of the doors and placing the watering can beside him.
“I have—”
“They’ve spent quite a bit of time together,” I interrupted.
Chance’s face lit up with a cheeky smirk. “You do sound a bit jealous there, Sunny.” He grinned. “Or should I say, Bubbles ?”
I lifted a hand to swat his arm but stopped dead in my tracks when my dad began cackling .
“Oh, Mari.” He snorted. “I’d forgotten all about that nickname!”
~
Somehow leaving Dad on one of his good days was harder than leaving on one of his bad.
“He always seems to remember more when you come to visit,” Rhiannon had said to me.
Chance had, thankfully, grabbed me by the hand and led me out.
“Safety first.” He reached over with my seatbelt in hand, buckling it over my waist. “Even with these outdated seatbelts.” He shot me a sneaky smile before closing my door and heading for his side.
He jumped in and immediately launched the ute into reverse, hitting the other side of the carpark in seconds. But, instead of turning right to head back towards the highway, he turned left.
“Hey, this isn’t the—”
“I know.” A small smile plumped his lips out farther. “There’s still daylight hours left. I wanna take you somewhere. That okay?”
I swallowed, struggling against every emotionally drained instinct to get out of the car and walk all the way back to Soggla. Anything to be by myself.
“You still got me?” I whispered.
His eyes found mine straight away, still that sparkly blue from this morning.
“Always.”
~
“Where is it exactly that you’re taking me?” I asked, rolling my window down just a touch to let some fresh air in.
“Full of questions today, are we?” He smirked, then used the one hand on the steering wheel to flick the indicator on.
“Arrenbrook Falls?” I asked again, reading the exit sign of the narrow lane he merged into.
“Not quite. We’re nearly there. Relax.” He moved his hand off the gearstick and onto my thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze.
His eyes widened for a heartbeat when they returned to the road before he swiftly swerved down an old dirt road.
Ahead of us, scribbling, rustling gumtrees lined either side of the dirt path. The sunlight was completely blocked out from the road by the overhanging trees, somehow with leaves greener than any of the others we’d driven past today.
Chance eased onto the brakes, taking the winding corners slow enough that the back wheels didn’t catch, but quickly enough to keep us moving up the incline.
Then the trees broke, and the view was astonishing .
Hundreds upon hundreds of trees bunched together to coat the other side of the hill with a vibrant forest green.
Some of the lighter trees, such as the taller ones with pale green eucalyptus leaves, had splashes of colour in it’s branches.
Rainbow lorikeets bustled about. Birds flew over the peaceful land, some calling out to one another.
Brief rustles were visible in nearby trees but faded with distance.
I used the roller handle to roll down my window and, like a child on a road trip, hung my face just outside the window. Feeling the fresh, warm, nature-filled breeze on my face, I sucked in a deep breath through my nose.
“Wow …” I breathed.
“My thoughts exactly.” He winked and offered me a sly smile.