"What the hell is he doing in my house?"
Rob's voice cuts through the kitchen like a blade. He's in the doorway, face flushed, fists clenched.
So much for resting.
Cate is on her feet. "Rob, please--"
"Get out." His eyes are locked on me. "Now."
I stand slowly, but I don't move for the door. "I'm not here to fight," I promise again.
"I don't give a damn why you're here. You're not welcome."
My eyes narrow on him, my voice even when I say, "All week, Molly couldn't say a word without risking your health. But you look awful healthy to me, ready to fight."
His face goes red. "How dare--"
"I'm only pointing out that you can fight with me, but your daughter couldn't even have a conversation with you."
"Rob." Cate's voice is stronger now. "Let him speak."
He looks to her, stunned. "Excuse me?"
"I want to hear what he has to say." Her hands shake, but she lifts her chin in defiance. "Sit down. Or don't. But I'm going to hear what he has to say."
Rob doesn't sit. He stands in the doorway, arms crossed, glaring. But he doesn't interrupt. She sits. Nods for me to join her. So I do.
With a hard swallow, I keep going.
"I know I'm too old for her," I admit, "Trust me. From the second I first saw her, I think I knew what would come of us. But I denied myself, wouldn't even entertain the idea. But we were friends. She needed help. And then I found myself with her all the time and miserable when I wasn't. You asked why I've been single all this time--I shut people out, deny myself like I did with Molly. I grew up rough, bounced around a lot, learned early that the people you love will let you down. And I figured it was easier to avoid it altogether. But then I met Molly."
I have to pause, draw up the tension in my chest and let a good bit of it go with a sigh. Chuff a little laugh.
"I coach our teacher's softball league, and she joined not having ever thrown a baseball. She showed up there with a smile on her face and wonder busting out of her like sunbeams. She wasn't afraid, didn't worry she'd look silly--she came for the joy of it, nothing more. I…I've never met anybody like her. I've never known someone who can take a moonless midnight and turn it into summer sunshine. She didn't set out to show me that what I thought about life and love was wrong. She saw past walls I built and walls I didn't even know I had, found a part of me I thought I lost a long, long time ago. She made mebelieve, again. Through her optimism, her courage, she brought me back to life. I don't mean that she fixed me. But she saw the best in me, and in that, she helped me fix myself.
"I love her." The words are raw, painfully true. "More than I've loved anyone, more than I knew I could. She didn't just find the best in me--she made me believe it was true. I know I'm not what you wanted for her. But I will protect her. Support her. Love her. Always. I know our age difference scares you--it scares me too. But that's just one part of who we are. In the end, what matters is how we love one another, and I love her with all that I am. You're afraid I'll hurt her, that she's too inexperienced to know what she wants. But she's a woman who knows her mind, and she chose me. And I'd choose her in every lifetime."
My hands are shaking and damp when I reach into my pocket. In my hand is an old velvet box. I turn it over with my fingers, open it. Show them what's inside.
"You want to know my intentions? They're forever. This was my grandmother's ring, wore it every day for more than seventy years. Told me to give it to the right girl, when I found her. I never expected to, wasn't looking for her. She found me." Mythroat works, the stone there heavy. "Someday, I'm going to give her this ring. And I hope on that day, I'll have your blessing."
Tears glisten in Cate's eyes. Rob turns away.
"Are you finished?" He asks, his back to me.
"I'm finished."
"Then leave."
"No, you don't have to--" Cate starts, but I shake my head.
"It's alright. I said what I came to say." I close the box, slip it back into my pocket. "All I'm asking is for you to trust your daughter. She chose me. And that should mean something."
"Get out," Rob grinds out.
Cate is torn, anguished, but she doesn't argue.
"Thank you for listening," I say to her quietly. And then I head for the door, passing Rob on the way. He says nothing. I don't meet his eyes.
