Those three little words soften my heart, and I find myself leaning over the bed to hug the man I spent so many years hiding from.
“I want to make it right, son,” my dad says. “I won’t be here for long, but I want to spend whatever time I have left making it up to you.”
I nod into my dad’s shoulder. I know I can’t instantly forgive him, but I can at least give him that.
“I’ll be here,” I say, surprised by how much I mean it. Not just because he’s sick, but because I’ve always wanted my father back, and now I have him. If only for a moment.
I release my father and sit back down by Lennox who reaches for my hand again. I slide mine into hers. This feels so good.
Why did I let the rejection ingrained in me ruin my chances at happiness? Every relationship I entered, I kept myself safe by keeping one foot out the door before I could be shoved out. But only the good things in life were worth the risk of stepping all the way in and shutting the door behind me.
Had I let myself do that sooner, I could have been holding Lennox's hand for the last six years.
“You’re the Bentley’s daughter, right?” My aunt Megan asks Lennox.
“Yeah." She smiles at my aunt and dad without judgment. She knows my history, and she’s still looking at my family like she’s always known them. Lennox is just that way. She never judges others. Instead, she sees them without negativity, without a filter. She’s special like that.
My aunt grins at us. “With how much Grant used to talk about you when I came to visit, I knew he had a crush on you. I’m glad you two are together.”
Chapter 22
Lennox
What did his aunt just say?
Will Grant deny it? Because I really don’t want him to. I want it to be real. I want everything with Grant to be real.
Grant’s hand loosens in mine, but I hold it tighter. Now might be my only chance to come clean.
“I always had a crush on him too,” I say.
Grant turns to look at me and my face heats up.
“I’m glad he was always welcome with your family.” His dad says, his eyes glistening with tears. My heart breaks for him. It took him years of suffering to recognize his mistakes. Everyone makes their own choices in life. He let Grant go, but that’s not a mistake I’m willing to make.
I can tell that out of everything Grant went through, this is the thing that’s going to take the longest to forgive. How does one handle not being wanted?
I can only hope that when I tell him I want him, he believes me. But for right now, I should let him have some space. He could use some time without me present to patch things up with his dad.
“I’m going to go, and let you guys catch up,” I say, standing up and disengaging my hand from his.
He looks up at me with fear in his eyes.
“Call me and I’ll be back,” I say. “I need to get home before my family gets worried.”
He nods, seeming to remember the events from the last hour. He stands up with me, taking my hand again. “I’ll be right back,” he says to his dad and leads me from the room. He’s silent as we walk, and I wait until we reach the car before I speak.
“Are you going to be okay?”
He scrubs his free hand down his face and lets out an exhausted breath. “I think so.”
I squeeze his hand before letting go. Now that we’re outside, I should give him distance. This is new territory for us, and he’s already been through a lot tonight.
“So uh,” he lets out a breath. “Was what you said in there true?”
I only said a few things, so I know exactly which one he’s talking about. “Yes.” I bite my fingernail. “Painfully true.”
His eyebrows furrow. “Why did you hide your crush on me?”
