“Do you want to read them together?” he asks.
I nod. “Let me finish eating.”
I quickly eat the rest of my meal before taking my plate to the sink. Then I hold my hand out to Ridge and lead him to the couch.
He sits next to me, an identical envelope in his hand.
With shaky hands, I open mine as he does the same.
My dearest Rain,
I hope you are not still angry with me. Ridge told me I should write you a letter, but I figured you would throw it out before reading it. That is why Ihave asked my lawyer to wait to give you this letter. I had hoped time might have diminished the anger and allowed you to be able to read my words without hate in your heart.
I didn’t mean to make you angry. I only wanted to ensure you would be taken care of. Please do not blame Ridge for this. He warned me that this wouldn’t be a wise decision. I made it anyway. You see, the thing is that when you are a parent, you are willing to do anything necessary to make sure your child is safe and protected. You will understand if you have a child yourself one day. I know Ridge wouldn’t have been your first choice, but he is a good man. I promise he will take care of you.
You have been married to him for two years now. I don’t know what decision you made. Whether you were able to become friends with him or maybe even fall in love with him. Or perhaps you still hate him and plan to leave him. No matter your decision, I don’t want you to run away from this place. I want you to embrace it. It has been your home and will always be your home.
You might be wondering why I did it. Why did I do something so drastic? The truth is, I know you, Rain. You are brilliant. Strong-willed. Kind. You also do not handle emotions well. When you feel anything thatmight scare you, you run. You would never want to be a burden on anyone.
I saw it in your eyes. Every day you would look at me, and I could see that you wouldn’t stay once I was gone. You would leave this place and all the pain behind. The idea that you would give up your history just so you didn’t have to face it was worse than the cancer.
So, to answer your question, I did this for you. So you would keep this part of your life. After two years, you will have moved on. It won’t be so painful to go to our old house anymore. You will have gotten closer to the club and realized that they really are your family, even if I’m not there. I did this to protect you from yourself.
I hope that you see a better future for yourself. The one I always saw. I want you to find happiness and joy. I want you to smile more than you cry. I want the pain to be the minority while laughter is your whole life. Whether it is with Ridge or with someone else, I only want you to flourish.
I love you more than words can express, my darling daughter. More than any one person could ever love another human being. I never once regretted a moment of being your father. Know that I will always be with you in your heart.
I love you, Rain.
Love,
Your father Mustang
Tears are falling freely down my face as I read his words. He always knew me better than I knew myself most days. How he could see that I would have fled, I will never know.
I am grateful he did, though. I couldn’t have asked for a better father. He truly gave up his life for me.
Thank you, Dad. I love you too.I send the mental note up to him, hoping his spirit can somehow hear me.
When I look over to Ridge, I see his eyes are wetter than mine as he reads the words in his own letter.
I rest my head against him, holding him as he processes his own emotions.
One thing is for sure. Dad was right about Ridge. He is a good man and the man I plan to spend the rest of my life with.
Ridge
I wait for Rain to start reading her letter before I read my own. I’m scared of what it might say. I never expected to hear from him again, yet he surprised me again.
Ridge,
You said I should write Rain a letter, and I did,but I think I also owe you one. You were always like a son to me. The moment I saw you look at Rain like she could be your whole world, I knew. I wanted you to be the one to be by her side. I had hoped I had years of meddling to get you two together, but the cancer took that from me. So I had to take drastic measures.
Do you remember that day? You had come over for dinner. You hadn’t seen Rain since her graduation. I had let her run off and travel a bit with some friends before she came back. That absence made all the difference. I could see it then. She wasn’t just my daughter anymore. She was a woman you were attracted to. Interested in maybe.
I always thought you might ask my permission to pursue her, but you never did. Then I realized why. You would never jeopardize our relationship for something with her. While honorable, it was unnecessary.
I know you think you aren’t good enough for her. None of us ever really do feel like we deserve the women we love. What you don’t know is that if I had to choose anyone in this world to love my daughter, I am beyond glad it’s you.
