“I’ve been working on letting go of what I can’t change,” he explained. “There is no other choice.”Taylor looked over at me. “I was blindsided. And I’ve spent enough time being butthurt about the fact that I was the last to know about you and Blair.” He exhaled. “The situation is what it is. It’s never gonna change. I can either lament it for the rest of my life or try to let it go. Holding on to the resentment will suck too much energy out of me. I need that energy more than ever now.” He paused. “And ultimately, I owe it to Nicholas to be strong about this.”
“I know it’s not easy for you.”
“It’s not. But it’s not impossible, either.”
We took several more steps in silence before I asked, “What does this mean for you and me?”
“It means we take it one step at a time. I still need you to be patient with me, but I want to work our way back to where we were before this happened.”
“That means the world to me, son.” I froze. “Can I call you that?”
He nodded.
“I waited a long time to regain a relationship with you once. I’ll wait as long as it takes to get it back again,” I said.
Taylor stopped walking and faced me. “How are you and Blair doing?”
I cocked my head. “You really want to know?”
He shrugged. “I’m trying here. Just go with it.”
“Okay.” I smiled. “We’re very happy.” I hesitated, but decided I was done keeping things from him. I cleared my throat. “Actually, I want you to be one of the first to know that I plan to ask her to marry me.”
He nodded. “Really…”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Are you okay withthat?”
Taylor took a deep breath in and let it out. “You seem to make her happy. That’s all I’ve ever wanted for her. And if I can’t accept this, that’s my own problem. I won’t make things more complicated for you or feed her negative opinions. You seem to really love each other.”
Thank God. “I asked her father for his blessing,” I said. “But I’d feel remiss if I didn’t also ask for yours. I know how important she is to you, and you to her.” I paused. “Just to clarify… Do I have your blessing?”
He looked up at the sky a moment. “Yeah.”
Letting out a long breath, I nodded. “I’m so grateful, Taylor. Thank you.”
Taylor nodded and then checked his phone. “Listen, I’ve got to get going.” He scrolled through some photos. “But I want to show you something first.” He turned the screen toward me.
My eyes watered the instant I saw what it was: an ultrasound photo of his baby.My grandchild.
“Juliana’s five months along now.”
I shook my head. “I can’t believe you’re gonna make me a grandfather.”
“I want her to know you.”
It took a few seconds for it to register.Her. He wasn’t talking about Juliana. He was talking about…her.
Mygranddaughter.
I pried my eyes off the image to look up at him. “Her?”
His mouth curved into a smile. “Yeah.”
I hadn’t met this little girl yet, but I knew I’d always protect her.
It seemed the curse Blair’s father had placed on me was already coming true.
Chapter 39
