Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 78007 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78007 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
“It’s her job, Dad. Don’t take it out on her,” I scold, and maybe that’s not going to get the two of us off to the best start, but if we’re going to do this, if we’re going to have a relationship, then I have to be who I am. I refuse to pretend to be someone else.
“I wasn’t… I didn’t mean… Oh hell. I’m sorry.”
She pushes the wheelchair up to my passenger door. I open it, and Dad pauses for a moment, then gets in.
I thank the nurse, and she goes back inside. Dad has all his discharge paperwork on his lap, so I just go over to the driver’s side and get in.
“I can get you a car,” is the first thing he says to me.
“I don’t need you to get me a car. This one works fine. If we’re gonna do this, you can’t just try and throw your money at me all the time.”
“That’s not… Okay, that’s what I’m doing, but I do it because I care. I want you to have nice things. I want to help. It’s how I…”
“How you show you care?” I finish for him. “I’d rather see it in other ways. That’s not me.”
He sighs, and I can tell he doesn’t understand it, but he says, “I’ll try. I don’t know how good I’ll be at it. I’m not the best at giving up control or not trying to fix things with…well, with money, but I do love you, Perry, and I want to make this work. I want a relationship with you.”
Throat full, I nod. “I want that too. And I can try and make sacrifices with some things as well.”
“Deal.”
He gives me the name of his hotel, and I type the address into navigation. It’s in the wealthiest area of San Luco. The hotel is white with an orange-tiled roof and turquoise accents on the building. It looks like a Spanish-styled palace.
The valet up front does a double take when I pull up. Yeah, buddy. I don’t belong here. I get it.
I try to help Dad out, but he waves it off. When I give the valet my keys, Dad tries to tip him, but one look from me has him pausing, which I have to admit, is nice to see. I told him I would try too, and he can probably afford to tip this guy more than me, so I nod and let him hand the money over.
“Thank you,” he says.
“You’re welcome.”
We don’t say anything else to each other until we’re upstairs in his suite that is probably bigger than the house I share with Ty and Brax.
“Are you thirsty? I can—”
“I’m fine,” I cut him off. The two of us stand about five feet away, staring at each other, both of us probably lost and unsure what to say.
“I—” We both start at the same time, then chuckle.
“Can I go first?” Dad says. “There are some things I need to say to you.” He wrings his hands.
“Only if you sit down. You have to rest too.”
He nods. I can tell he’s not happy about it, but he takes a seat on the couch.
“I am…not the best man, Perry. Never have been. I’ve made a lot of mistakes. I’ve hurt a lot of people. I’m controlling, and quite frankly, I like attention and to feel important. I wasn’t good to Ty’s mom, to your mom, to my children. I can’t change the past. If I could, I would, but we both know that’s impossible. All I can do is try to be better, and I’m doing that every day. I’m going to therapy—by myself and with Ty through telehealth. I’m more active in your little sister’s life, with my new wife. Life is…too short. I’ve realized that recently, and even more so after my heart scare. I don’t want to waste any more time, and I don’t want to hurt the people I love. I’ve always and will always love you, son, and if you give me a chance, I’d like to prove it to you. I would like to have a real relationship with you.”
My eyes sting again. This is getting ridiculous. I’ve never cried so much in my life, but they’re good tears, cleansing tears, ones that start trying to wash away the past. His words don’t fix anything, but they do put us on the right path to changing the future. There’s still a long way to go, but this is a good beginning.
“I want that too. I’m not gonna lie to you—you hurt me. A lot. I don’t…I don’t let people in easily. I’m afraid of being left, that there’s nothing to love about me. For years I’ve told myself I hate you. Hell, I’m really damn good at coding and tech, I love it, but I wouldn’t even let myself follow my dreams because it hurt that I share them with you. But I’m tired of fighting it. I want to go into tech, go to college. I want to know what it’s like to have a dad. But I’m learning my worth, and I won’t accept less than I deserve.”