Nudging my nose with hers, she whispers, “Look at me.”
I do.
Her beautiful brown orbs slide down to my mouth and linger. She slowly leans in, and just when our lips are about to brush, there’s a knock on the door.
I scramble back, my cheeks blazing.
My father enters, and his eyes find Jessica first. He clears his throat, gesturing to the door. “Your mom wants to see you.”
The bed shifts. I can’t look at her for fear that what almost happened just now will somehow show on my face.
She quietly leaves the room as my lips tingle from our almost kiss. Dad joins me on the bed, and he’s as awkward as I feel. His jeans stretch over his thick thighs, and his shirt smells of comfort. I want to lean in.
“We haven’t talked since the abduction.”
“We never talk, full stop.”
“That’s true,” he agrees, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m not good at this.”
“I know.”
“Your mom was.”
“Mom is dead.”
We sit in silence. The distance between us grows until I’m unsure if I can even see the sails of his ship on the horizon or if it’s a mirage.
“I want to mend this broken bridge between us, but I need you to meet me halfway.”
I slowly lift my gaze. “What if I don’t want to?”
Sometimes I wish I saw more of my dad in me. I’m a carbon copy of Mom, and it’s a burden to keep her memory alive through me. Especially when she was so perfect and I’m such a failure.
“Then I’ll have no choice but to accept it.”
“You would do that?”
A muscle tics in his cheek before he nods. “If that’s what you want.”
“I want to stop hurting, Dad.” On cue, the fucking tears fall. I can’t stop them, no matter how much I try. They fall unhindered as he pulls me into his body.
“I know. Me, too.”
I cling to him, creasing his checkered shirt. “Is it true that you and Mom separated before you met Jessica’s mom?”
He stiffens. “Who told you?”
“It doesn’t matter.” I breathe him in because I need his comfort right now. “Is it true?”
“It is.”
I squeeze my eyes shut. “I wish you would’ve said something. I’ve held on to anger for so long.”
Staying silent, he squeezes me.
“I don’t understand why she got behind the wheel drunk.”
“We’ll never know, sweetie.”
