Page 53

"Hi, Dad," I say.

"Bree." His voice catches slightly. "You look… You look wonderful."

"Thank you. Come in."

He steps inside, and I see him take in the house. It's small compared to what I grew up in: three bedrooms, one and a half baths, a living room that flows into the kitchen. But it's ours. Every piece of furniture, every picture on the wall, every coffee stain on the couch from the time I fell asleep watching TV, it's all ours.

"This is lovely," he says.

"Thank you. We bought it about a year ago. Before that we were renting an apartment above the flower shop where I work."

"You're still working there?"

"Yeah. I'm the assistant manager now. Margaret's talking about retiring in a few years and leaving the shop to me and June, the other woman who works there."

"That's wonderful, Bree."

Angel appears in the doorway with Lily in his arms. She's wearing the little dress I picked out this morning, pink with white flowers, because I wanted her to look perfect.

My father's eyes go immediately to her, and something in his expression cracks.

"Dad, this is Lily Rose," I say. "Lily, this is Grandpa."

My father sets down the gift and flowers on the side table and takes a step forward. "May I?"

Angel looks at me, waiting for my signal. I nod.

He walks over and transfers Lily into my father's arms. She looks up at him with Angel's blue eyes, and I hold my breath.

Then she smiles.

My father's eyes fill with tears.

"She's beautiful," he whispers. "She looks just like you did at this age."

"She's got her daddy's eyes," I say.

"And her mama's stubbornness," Angel adds with a grin.

My father laughs, and bounces Lily gently in his arms. She giggles and grabs his tie.

"I'm sorry," my father says suddenly, looking at me over Lily's head. "I'm so sorry, Bree. For everything. For pushing you toward Chase. For letting Victoria treat you the way she did. For choosing my business over my daughter. For taking so long to realize what I'd lost."

My throat tightens. "Dad…"

"No, let me finish." He shifts Lily to one arm. "When you left, I was furious. I thought you were throwing your life away, embarrassing the family, being selfish. But Victoria—" He stops. "She said things after you left. Things about you, about your mother. And I realized she'd been saying them for years, and I'd let her. I'd stood by and let her tear you down because it was easier than confronting her."

"Dad, you don't have to—"

"I do. I need you to know that I ended things with her six months after you left. Filed for divorce, cut all ties. And I've spent the last two years trying to figure out how to make this right, how to apologize for failing you as a father." He looks down at Lily. "And then you sent me that birth announcement, and I knew… I knew I couldn't wait any longer. I had to at least try."

I'm crying now. Full tears streaming down my face.

Angel appears beside me and wraps his arm around my waist. "You okay?"

I nod. "Yeah. I'm okay."

My father hands Lily back to Angel and crosses to me. For a moment, we just stand there. Then he pulls me into a hug, the first real hug he's given me in years, and I let myself cry against his shoulder.