Vance stood on my porch, and my heart immediately sank. He looked destroyed—red-rimmed eyes, shoulders hunched, hands trembling slightly.
I yanked open the door. “Vance.” I pulled him inside. “What happened?”
“I called her.” His voice broke. “Nicole finally gave me Margot’s number. Said I should call to prepare her for tomorrow. So I did.”
“And?”
“She wouldn’t talk to me.” He sank onto my couch, head in his hands. “I asked her how she was. She said ‘fine.’ I asked what she wanted for dinner tomorrow. She said ‘I don’t care.’ I tried to tell her I was excited to see her, that I’d missed her so much. Shejust said ‘okay’ and then asked if she could go. Like talking to me was torture.”
I sat beside him, my hand on his back. “Oh, Vance.”
“She hates me. Nicole’s spent six years making sure of it, and now—” His voice cracked completely. “What if she never forgives me? What if she misses her mom so much she can’t ever love me?”
“Vance, look at me.”
He lifted his head. Tears streaked his face.
“She’s ten years old,” I said gently. “She’s been told lies about you her whole life. She’s being sent away by the only parent she’s known because that parent chose a man over her. She’s scared and hurt and angry. Of course she’s not ready to talk to you.”
“Then what do I do?”
“Just hang in there. It’ll take time, but not forever,” I said.
“What if it’s not enough?”
“It will be.” I cupped his face in my hands. “You’re a good father. You fought for her when you had nothing. You moved across the world to be close to her. You never gave up. She’ll see that eventually.”
“What’s going on?” Mia appeared at the top of the stairs in her pajamas.
“Vance had a hard phone call with Margot,” I said.
Mia came down immediately, sitting on Vance’s other side. “She didn’t want to talk to you?”
He shook his head.
“That’s because she’s scared,” Mia said matter-of-factly. “When my dad left, I didn’t want to talk to him either. I was so mad. But that’s because I was hurt. It’s not because I didn’t love him. I just didn’t know how to trust him anymore.”
Vance looked at her. “Did that change?”
“A little. Not as much as I wanted. But that’s because he didn’t really try. Actually, he didn’t try at all. He kind of justclosed the door on our relationship.” She put her hand on his arm. “But you’re not like that. You fought for her and lost. But now she’ll be with you and she’ll see how awesome you are and how much you love her.” Mia’s voice grew husky. “I’m kind of jealous. I wish my dad …well, never mind. It is what it is, right?”
I fought tears of rage. Carter was such a poor excuse for a father. My brave girl just kept on going, never complaining or feeling sorry for herself.
“I’m sorry, Mia,” Vance said softly. “That must really hurt.”
“It does. But think about it this way. If I hadn’t gone through that, I wouldn’t be able to help Margot. I’m the perfect person to be her … big sister … type.” Her cheeks turned pink. “Not her real sister … but … whatever. You get what I’m saying.”
“I do. And you’re very wise and kind.” Vance managed a smile. “You seem to have a knack for knowing what to say. Just like your mom.”
Mia beamed. “Really? ’Cause that’s totally true of Mom. She always knows how to make people feel better. I’d love to be that way too.”
“Trust me, you already are,” Vance said. “And thank you.”
For a second or two, Mia’s expression turned tender and vulnerable. She wanted a father like Vance. I wanted that for her too. But it was dangerous to count on a man we’d only just met. Yet, I was doing it too.
Mia stood. “I’m going to head upstairs. I’m reading the best book right now.”
She disappeared up the stairs, leaving us alone.
