His hair was thin and his eyes were tired. There was no other way to describe his face except haggard and weathered. It was clear the man had lived a life. But he’d been in the Air Force for most of his life and spent much of that career deployed overseas. We’d gotten through, as he put it, the “speed-dating summary” of his life.
“I’m really grateful you came to meet me.” His voice was low and a little worn.
“Yeah.” I paused, taking measure of how I felt inside my body. “I’m glad I came too. Which, to be honest, surprises me.”
He tilted his head to the side. “That doesn’t surprise me.”
“No?”
“I wasn’t there when you were growing up, and I regret it. Your mom raised an amazing man.”
“She’s the best,” I said, my chest tightening with emotion.
“She seems pretty awesome.”
I chuckled. “Well, you dated her once upon a time.”
He nodded. “I did. I don’t know what you were like when you were twenty-four, but even though I was technically an adult, I was, to put it lightly, emotionally immature. Of course, I didn’t know it at the time. I liked your mom a lot. She was cute and smart and funny. But I was too young to know what I needed to grab ahold of at that time. I’d like to think, if I’d found out about her being pregnant before I was transferred, that I would have handled it differently. But I don’t know. I was young and carefree. I’ve had to accept my mistakes, and it kind of sucks.”
His directness elicited a startled laugh from me. “Is that so?”
“Yeah.” His chin bobbed. “Totally sucks. There are some things you can do over in life, but there are some things you can’t. Your mom has shown me plenty of pictures. Hell, last week, she sent me online folders of photos labeled for every year of your life.” He shook his head, his eyes bright with a sheen. “I wish I’d been there. So, I wouldn’t give you the advice to live your life the way I chose to live mine. By the way, I never got married and never had any other kids.”
I was quiet and still, feeling the weight of his words sinking in. “I wondered, so thanks for letting me know.” Pausing, I gathered myself. “I’m glad you took my mom’s call,” I finally added.
“I’m more glad than I can say,” he said quietly.
Time rolled along, and we shifted from the heavier topics to more casual conversation, which was a relief. If anything, because I appreciated that we both felt relaxed enough to talk casually. By the time my mom and I left to return to the hotel, I felt lighter inside. So many questions had been answered. More than anything, I felt like I finally knew the man my father was. That was a gift I would cherish.
The following morning, we had breakfast together. When we flew home, all I could think about was Tori. I needed to tell her how I felt. I needed not to let what we had slip away. No matter what happened with us, I was at least going to put my feelings out there so she knew.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Tori
Bella started spinning in her happy circles as soon as Kincaid walked into the house. He gave me a quick kiss before leaning down to greet her. “Hey, sweet girl,” he murmured, and her little tail quivered in joy.
Maybe some people would’ve felt slighted that he initially gave my dog more attention than me, but it only solidified what a good man he was for me. That little voice of doubt, that deep distrust in the world and in my ability to understand what a person could be capable of, chimed in, Dad loved dogs too.
Oh, shut up, I muttered silently to myself.
Kincaid straightened, and Bella meandered off to her bed. He stood in front of me, his gaze skating over my face for a few beats. “Missed you, Tori,” he murmured as he pulled me into an embrace.
I took the moment to breathe him in, to absorb his presence. “I missed you too,” I murmured into the curve of his shoulder.
His fingers idly sifted through my hair, and when I lifted my head to peer up at him, my chest was tight with so many unspoken emotions and, well, the news.
“How was your visit?” I managed, trying to keep this conversation on an expected track.
His gaze sobered, and he angled his head to the side, considering my question quietly for a few beats. “I’m really glad I went.”
“Really?”
He nodded firmly. “I am. Obviously, I can’t change the past, but...” He shrugged slightly. “My dad took responsibility for everything he could. Maybe it’s because he’s dying, but it still matters for me.” Pain flared in his gaze briefly.
My hand, which was curled around his waist, clenched against him for a moment, as if I could absorb that pain for him. My heart gave an achy thump in my chest.
Kincaid took a slow breath. “If someone had asked me, what would your dad need to do or say for you to, I guess, accept his apology, I wouldn’t have known how to answer. But he did what I needed.”
