I wanted to see the menacing man I always expected him to be. But I didn’t see it. I saw a man who loved my mom fiercely. A man who lost. He wasn’t a monster. I couldn’t believe any of the lies Isabella tried to spread. She was a loophole ninja. She was trying to play me. But I wasn’t her puppet.
My dad’s response did bother me though. “So Isabella was lying about her and James?”
“The Hunters came upon rough times several years back. It was actually the start of a joint business venture. Completely unrelated to any of our children. I would never force either of my daughters to marry someone they didn’t want to. Especially for money,” he said with a laugh. “I mean, look at you. I told you that Mason was a better option. His whole future has been laid out in front of him. But I can tell you’re happy with Matthew. And even if he might not provide for you as well, I gave him my blessing. I just want you to be happy, princess.”
“I don’t need him to provide for me. I’m happiest in places just like this.”
My dad smiled. “I know. But you don’t have anything to worry about regardless. Your inheritance is now sizably larger than either of the Caldwell boys anyway. If anything, Matthew is a step below you.”
I would never describe Matt that way. “You know I didn’t ask for any of that.”
“Which is precisely why I’m giving it to you.” He pushed my milkshake forward. “Aren’t you going to try it? I swear it’s the best in the city.”
I smiled and took a sip. It tasted just like the ones at the diner back home. I watched my dad take a bite of his sandwich. Sitting in this diner with him felt normal. He didn’t feel like a stranger anymore. He felt like a freaking lifeline.
“I do have one more question,” I said. I’d found out what the locked room at his secret apartment was for. It was filled with my mom’s things. But there was a locked room in his actual apartment too. And I wanted to know what was in it. “What’s in the room down the hall from my bedroom at your apartment? The one with the new security key code? Is that filled with my mom’s stuff too?”
He dabbed a napkin across his lips. “No. That’s…” his voice trailed off. “You know what? I think it would be best if I showed that to you in person. The next time you come over, okay?”
“Yeah. Okay.” How bad could it be if he was willing to show it to me? I was breathing easier already. I’d asked every single question I’d had for him.
“Tell me more about your relationship with Matthew,” my dad said. “Is it progressing toward intimacy? I know you mentioned before that it wasn’t, but we need to be safe with these things.”
Oh God. Not the sex talk again.“Everything’s good, I promise.”
He nodded. “Good, good.” He took a sip of his milkshake.
For a minute neither of us said anything at all. And I really hoped that was the end of the conversation. But then he started talking again.
“But do you mean good as in you are being sexually active?”
“Dad.” Wasn’t this a weird thing to bring up in public? I looked over to see if any of the waitresses had heard him. Fortunately they all seemed busy.
“Okay, we don’t have to discuss it any further. But, Brooklyn, if you’re planning on moving in that direction with Matt, I think it’s better to stay in front of all of this. If you’re okay with it, I’d like to go ahead and set that appointment with Dr. Wilson sooner rather than later. It’s better to just get it out of the way, don’t you think?”
“Sure.” If he was going to keep pressing the issue of birth control maybe it was just better to get it over with. “Do you mind if I do it alone though? This whole thing is very awkward.”
“Oh. I mean, yes, if that’s what you want. But if you’re uncomfortable talking about it with me, then maybe you aren’t ready to…”
“It’s fine. Really.” Just because I didn’t want to talk about sex with my dad didn’t mean I wasn’t ready to have sex. I didn’t even think I’d be comfortable having this conversation with my mom.
“Okay. I won’t mention it again.” He smiled.
I took a huge bite of my sandwich. Now that the question was out there…was I ready to have sex? I knew Matt was. He said he was waiting for me. And I knew he loved me. I was all in with him. So shouldn’t I go all the way with him?
“Are you getting excited for the holidays?” my dad asked.
It was a normal question to ask in the fall. But I honestly hadn’t been thinking about it at all. This would be the first time I didn’t celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas with my mom. “Mhm,” I said, even though my heart wasn’t really in it.
“I know it’s several weeks away, but no matter what’s going on with Isabella, I’d like you to come over for Thanksgiving. It’s always a pretty big celebration for us. We have family coming in from out of town that I want you to meet. And you can invite whoever else you want. I just…it’s a day for family. And I want you to be there. Besides, Isabella’s always in a lovely mood around Thanksgiving.”
The Hunters had mentioned Isabella being cheery during the holidays. I couldn’t really imagine a sweet and charming holiday Isabella. But it had to be better than a gun slinging Isabella. “Yeah. That would be nice.”
He smiled. “It’s so easy to see your mother when I look at you. But I see a lot of myself too. You go after what you want and you get it. You should consider applying to the business school of whatever college you plan on going to.”
“Did you study business in college?”
He nodded. “I used to think that Isabella would take over the family business one day. But I’m seeing everything a little differently now.”
