“To you as well, Mrs. Delgadina.” Even though her parents invited me a long time ago to call them by their first names, I don’t want to make any presumptions.
She scolds me. “Brennan, you know it’s JoAnn.”
“Thank you. These are for you.” I extend the flowers, which she accepts like they’re exactly right.
That’s when I hear a cough. I spin around and find her father staring at me torn between good manners and homicide. He chooses peace and holds out a hand. “Brennan.”
I shift the box so I can take his in a firm grip. “Mr. Delgadina. Happy Thanksgiving.” I hold out the box and tell him, “Some honey cinnamon rugelach for you and Mrs. Delgadina.”
“Honey, take the box from Brennan and remind him to call you Ted,” JoAnn chides.
Begrudgingly, he does.
Then I hold out the bag of wine to Amy. “For the table.”
She leans forward and presses a kiss to my cheek. She whispers, “Sucking up was a good choice.”
I relax a bit. More so as the afternoon progresses. After taking a helping of everything, I compliment Amy and her mother on the cooking.
Conversation flows around neutral territory. School. The town. Weather. JoAnn asks about my work with the kids, andI answer honestly. Her dad listens more than he speaks, eyes sharp, but not unkind.
Amy sits beside me, knee occasionally brushing mine under the table, grounding me without even trying.
Before dessert is served and plates are cleared, Ted stands. “Brennan, let’s work off some of that meal outside.”
Amy stiffens.
“It’s fine. I’ll be right back,” I tell her quietly.
She nods, but her fingers curl briefly around my wrist before she lets go.
Outside, the air is cool. Late afternoon slipping toward evening. He stops near the edge of the yard, hands in his pockets, back straight. “I’m going to say this plainly, because I don’t see the point in dancing around it.”
I brace myself knowing what he’s about to say might hurt but that I deserve it.
He continues, “I was disappointed in you for the way you hurt my daughter.”
I nod. “I still am.”
He maintains a steady tone. Not raising his voice. “You abandoned her when she needed you. I thought you cared for her more than that.”
“There isn’t an excuse for how I behaved. I made choices. They weren’t the right ones.”
He studies me for a long moment before turning away and leaning on the fence surrounding their backyard. I step up next to him just in time to hear, “She loved you and it almost broke her.”
“I loved her when I walked away. To be honest, I’m not certain I ever stopped.”
That earns a sharp inhale through his nose. When he releases it through his mouth, he’s not offering approval but observation.“Amy’s stronger now, different. Knows her mind. Who she wants to be with.”
“I know I’ll have to work every day to make up for how I behaved before. The only thing that will show you how serious I am is time. And I’ll only get that if Amy gives it to me.”
That gets his attention. After a moment, he shares, “She’ll always be my little girl in boots. But I trust the woman she’s become. She knows her value.”
I don’t hesitate to add. “And if she’ll let me, I promise you right here, right now, I’ll never let her feel like less than a queen every day.”
Something shifts in his expression. “Know I’ll be watching.”
I meet his gaze. “I would expect nothing less.”
