“Bite? No, but he does have a mean right hook,” my father answers.
My head whips to Damon, whose features give nothing away. Finally looking at me, Damon shrugs a shoulder.
“I might’ve decked him when he came by the hospital,” he explains.
That probably shouldn’t turn me on as much as it does.
“Right. Then it’s definitely time for a conversation,” I tell the room.
I can tell my dad wants to suggest we do so without an audience, but knowing he doesn’t really have a leg to stand on, he simply nods and turns toward the kitchen.
I take a seat on the familiar barstool while Damon chooses to stand behind me. He’s so close, his stomach is pressed against my back, and if we weren’t about to have this gut-wrenching conversation, I’d find it distracting as hell.
My dad reaches into the cabinet and pulls out a bottle of whiskey. Holding it up, he says, “Either of you boys want one for this?”
Damon and I both shake our heads. My dad throws it back in one fell swoop and refills the glass, sipping it this time.
We speak simultaneously.
“Liam, I assume?—”
“Dad, how could you?—”
He gives me a tight smile. “Why don’t you go first?”
As I open my mouth to speak, Damon’s hand slides to my hip. It’s hidden from my father’s view by the bar, but it’s the encouragement I need to begin speaking.
“How could you do that to Taylor if you claim you loved him?”
The wince is definitely noticeable this time, and it lingers as my dad swirls the liquid in his glass.
His pain is still so raw despite the time that’s passed.
“Well, to be perfectly clear, son. Istilllove him. And I know you probably think it’s wrong, but?—”
At those words, I cut him off.
“I don’t think loving Taylor is wrong. Weird? Definitely, but I can see how it would happen.” My dad’s eyes find mine in surprise as I continue. “What I findwrongwas you hiding it from me, lying about how it happened, and isolating him. Allowing me and Damon to stay mad at him was wrong. Throwing him under the bus foranyreason was wrong. You should’ve taken responsibility for your feelings, and you should’ve trusted me to accept it in time because I want you to be happy.”
My dad’s nostrils flare, and his lips curl in, but I can still see them quiver.
“I really messed up, Li,” he answers brokenly.
“Yeah, you did,” I confirm with no sympathy.
My dad glances back and forth between Damon and me. “You’ll never know how sorry I am, or how much I regret my actions.”
Still not totally on board the forgiveness train, Damon speaks behind me. “Well, he’s got Knox now, so that helps things a little.”
My dad shoots the rest of his whiskey at the mention of Taylor’s boyfriend.
As messed up as what he did was, I hate to see him hurting like this.
Allison’s words ring through my mind from the night of our shot-fest at the bar.Is there any chance he kept it from you because he knew it would cause you pain, and he wanted to avoid that as long as possible?She was talking about Damon, but the words ring true here as well. My dad always wanted what was best for me. He was a good dad, though unnecessarily overprotective, and losing Taylor seems like punishment enough. I’m ready to put this behind us. With Mom gone and Taylor moving on, I’m all he has left right now.
“Dad, I’m moving back home,” I blurt.
His head snaps up, and the first smile I’ve seen since we arrived spreads across his face.
