He gives me a look like I just proved his point. “She left, didn’t she? People don’t walk out for no reason.”
I let out a subtle scoff. “Yeah, alright. I might’ve said something I shouldn’t have. But you’re gonna need the whole story first.”
“Then quit dragging it out and let me hear it,” he quips, waving a hand.
I take a deep breath. “She was engaged.” The words taste disgusting in my mouth.
His eyebrows shoot up. “Oh?”
“Yeah. Just told me tonight. Said it’s why she moved back, to get away from the drama.”
“Fair enough. Go on.” He motions and I blank.
“That’s it, that’s the fight.”
Dad blinks, unimpressed. “That’s the issue? You’re mad she was engaged?” He shrugs. “She’s a cute girl, Jess. Can’t be mad about that.”
I huff a short laugh. “No, Dad. I’m not mad she was engaged. I’m mad she waited this long to tell me.”
“She told you, didn’t she?”
I squint at him. “So you’re on her side?”
“I’m not on anyone’s side,” he says with a shrug. “I’m on the side that keeps you two together. She say why she waited to tell you?” he asks.
“Because she didn’t want me to judge. She’s always hated hard conversations,” I mutter. “This isn’t the first time she’s kept something from me because of it.”
“Well, nobody likes hard conversations.”
“Yeah, I told her that. She just didn’t want me to be mad at her.”
Dad gives me a look. “And your reaction was?”
I shake my head, lips curling into a guilty smile.
He leans back. “That’s what I thought.”
“I get it,” I admit.
“Do you?”
“Yeah, Dad. I do. I’m the problem.”
“Didn’t say that. Look at the bright side. At least it’s only been a few weeks. You’re actin’ like she kept it from you for years.”
“I guess.”
“And this whole thing she has about confrontation or whatever … don’t forget, you have to adapt to her quirks too. Look at Addison, for example. This kid, Brad, or whatever his name is—”
“Brantley.”
“Yeah, him. He’s gotta adapt to her anxiety stuff. She can’t do a dinner date, so what do you do? You get takeout and eat in the truck somewhere or back at the house—adapt. You adapt for her, she’ll adapt for you. If you mean anything to her, that is. She won’t change a thing if she doesn’t love ya.”
I nod, the L-word hanging in my mind. Had I not said it, we probably wouldn’t be fighting right now. But then again, I probably wouldn’t know about her past engagement either.
“I’m so in love with this girl, Dad, it’s intense,” I admit quietly, thinking he’ll be caught off guard but his face says different.
“I know you are. She’s a sweetheart, always has been. So make things right, alright?”
