“Unbelievable,” he says. “What did we just talk about this morning?”
“I can’t ignore my daughter, Dad. What would you have me do instead? I’ll give Melvin a call. He’ll be able to cover everything.”
“Chloe is fine.” He waves his hand dismissively. “You chose to leave Christian, so you have to deal with the consequences. He can take care of her for a few days. If you’re ever going to move up in the company, you’ll need to make some sacrifices.”
“I’m not willing to sacrifice my daughter, and you shouldn’t expect me to. She’s your granddaughter. I wish just once you’d show that you care about her.”
We stare at each other for a few long seconds before I turn on my heels and walk away.
I’ve barely been home for two seconds when I get a text from Dylan.
Dylan
I haven’t stopped smiling. I hope you’re not too exhausted. Dinner later to make up for keeping you up all night?
I smile in spite of myself.
I have to go to California in a few hours. Chloe called crying so hard, and Christian said she’s been like that since I left.
The phone rings, and it’s Dylan. “Are you okay?” he asks immediately.
“Not really. My dad is being difficult about me missing work, and Christian doesn’t want me to come, but I can’t just leave her out there like that when she’s so upset.”
“What can I do to help?”
I’m so taken aback by his question, I stutter when I respond. “Y-you don’t need to do anything, but it means a lotthat you asked. I just need to pack and book a room in a hurry.”
“Let me fly back with you, and you can stay at my place.”
“Oh. You really don’t have to do that.” I pause from pulling underwear out of my drawer.
“I’d feel better about the whole thing. I’m sure you’d be fine, but remember what happened the last time you were upset and flew? I’d really like to go with you. I’ll stay out of the way or be there for you as much as you want.”
“But what about going to see your family?”
“Only one of my brothers knew I was coming, and I’ll call him as soon as we hang up. I’ll tell him I need to check on things at the shop, which is true. The rest of my family aren’t expecting me for another few days…”
“I’m…speechless. Thank you, Dylan.” I let out a shaky breath, and my voice cracks when I say, “That does sound nice, actually. I think I could use a friend. It’s been a shitty hour.”
“Consider it done. What time is your flight?”
I give him my flight details and tell him I’ll pick him up. It’ll be easier if I just park at the airport since it’s only a couple of days, and I’ll have Chloe’s car seat. We hang up so he can book his flight. As I swap out the dirty clothes in my suitcase for clean ones, it sets in what he’s doing for me.
I almost call him back to tell him I can’t let him do this, but by the time I’ve reached this decision, he’s probably already booked his flight. So I leave it. I don’t think even my closest friends would do this for me. I had more “friends” before I had Chloe, but my surprise pregnancy with a guy a decade older than me quickly culled the friend list. To their credit, some have loosely stuck around, but our lives are so different now. We don’t have anything in common anymore.
Since I was already mostly packed, I’m back at Dylan’shouse earlier than I expected to be. He opens the door shirtless and grins when he sees me, tugging my hand until I’m inside.
“It’s good to see you,” he says.
“Bet you didn’t think it’d be so soon.”
“I couldn’t have dared hope, but I’m so happy about it.” He holds up his hand. “Not the circumstances, but the outcome.”
I smile back at him. “Thank you for doing this.”
“Are you kidding? I’m excited to have you at my house. I can’t wait for you to meet Bill…and I really can’t wait to meet Chloe…if you’ll let me, that is…” He makes a face.
“I’m okay with you meeting her.” I surprise myself by saying that, but once it’s out, I feel good about it. My head tilts. “Who is Bill?”
