“It’s okay, if you wanted to still have a kid to look after you’ve got Bane. He’s a lunatic with the brain of a three year old sometimes.”
I barked out a laugh that I didn’t even know I had in me. “I’ll keep that in mind. What are you up to today?”
“Well, I was supposed to hang with a friend, but I really don’t feel like it. She has this new boyfriend and he’s just so boring…so I’ll probably just go home and do my homework.”
“Sounds smart,” I told her. “I guess this means…you have no boyfriend?”
Lani rolled her eyes. “We’re not there yet, Dad.”
I held my hands up in defeat. “Okay, but you know you can come to me for anything. Dad or not, I just want the best for you, kid.”
Lani nodded. “I think I’ve always known that, to be honest, but it’s nice hearing it. I promise, I will tell you if I need you to intervene.”
“I’ll accept that. How is…Van?”
Lani cocked her head to the side, almost the same way Mari did when she realised she was onto something. It was uncanny how much she looked like her. “Van…or Tavi?”
“Am I that transparent?”
“Like glass, Dad,” she chuckled before she sat down on the chair. “I think you should talk to her. Tell her everything. She likes honesty, and I think if you do that, she will listen.”
Fuck…this kid. Seriously, giving me a run for my money.
“Got it.”
Lani nodded. “I’ll let you get back to work. Thank you for, you know, listening.”
I stood when she did, unsure of what to do, how to say goodbye after we just laid all our shit out into the open like that.
“Um,” Lani started, her nervousness coming back, before I saw her hand gravitate toward the doorknob. “So…I guess I’ll just–”
“Lani…do you—fuck, I don’t know how to do this shit. Do you want to…”
My arms were out, beckoning her over before I could voice what I was trying to say. She lifted her face, her eyes seeking mine, and a slow smile made its way onto her face, before she ran into my arms and wrapped hers around my body.
There weren’t enough words in the fucking dictionary for how it felt to have your grown ass daughter hug you like you were the only thing she ever wanted to keep her safe. After so long thinking she hated you, she finally told you what she was feeling and now you were on the path to being okay, and now she was hugging me like I could tear all the bad things away from her world.
Fuck I would if I could.
I’d never let her have tears on her face if I could. I’d burn the fucking world down before that happened.
Lani pulled from the hug first, and I looked down at my daughter, proud of the woman she was. Of the courage it took to come here and tell me how she was feeling.
That was all Mari.
I had royally fucked this one up and I knew it, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t be her Dad now. I’d just be the best damn dad she could imagine.
“Call Tavi,” she said, as she headed for the door. Turning back, she offered me a comforting smile. “Trust me…call Tavi before it’s too late.”
Tavi
My heart was in my throat as I heard the car pull into the driveway. Mari was out with Lani and Bane, to give us time to talk. Van was happily sleeping away in front of the TV with cartoons on. Once the door opened, and he filled the frame, I felt as if my entire body was going to shudder and tense, like I was going to break apart if he came closer.
“Maverick.”
He quickly closed the door, checking on Van on the couch, a slight smile on his face as he smoothed Van’s hair out of his eyes and headed toward me. That act alone had my chest squeezing tight.
“Want to talk outside?” he asked me, his voice low.
