“Uh. Maybe not just yet.”
I don’t think she deserves to die. But she does need to earn her way back into my life.
He laughs. “Fine.”
Then, softer, “But, just know, you say the word, and it’s done.”
I roll my eyes, a shaky laugh escaping. No wonder he wanted me far away from this world.
“I’ve been a terrible father, Lily. I regret that. But I am happy to see you looking healthy. That’s all I ask for. I just wanted my little girl happy and healthy.”
I swallow. “Yeah. I’m doing fine.”
He steps closer, resting a hand on my shoulder. Solid. Grounding. “You’re strong, Lily. No matter what, never doubt your strength.”
He taps the side of my head.
I almost laugh. What the hell does he know about the woman I became? “Y-you don’t know me anymore, not really, Dad.”
“I’ve always been around, Lily. You might not have known it, but I was. I tried my best. I tore myself in half, making sure you stayed out of my messy world.”
“I wish it could have been different.”
“Me too.” He wipes a tear from my cheek gently.
“But, I’d like to get to know who you are now… if you’d let me?”
I pause, looking at him. He’s aged a lot since I last saw him, and with his life choices, who knows how long we have left. I want a future with him in it. I need it.
“Okay.” The word leaves me before fear can stop it.
I wrap my arms around him. He holds me tighter, like he’s making up for lost time in a single moment. My tears soak into his shirt.
“You gotta stop smoking, Dad.”
“Bossy still.”
I pull back as he reaches for the vodka bottle.
“Drink?” he asks. “Please don’t tell me you drink the fancy stuff now. You haven’t lost all of your roots?”
I laugh, grabbing two glasses.
“Don’t be ridiculous. But, Dad… It’s like nine a.m.?”
He chuckles, throwing his hand in the air. “Ah, it’s five o’clock somewhere. You got plans today?”
I bite my lip. To hell with it.
“Fine. Only a small measure,” I tell him.
He raises an eyebrow, muttering under his breath. “No chance. You drink properly.”
And I smile, just how I remember him. The man who gives no fucks about rules. About ‘normal’. My father does what he wants, when he wants.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Drago
