Rosa met her father at a restaurant he had taken her to many times when she was young. It seemed ageless, in the way some old New York restaurants were, exactly the same as it had been when she was a child. She was even certain the elderly waiter who took their order was the same man who had served them on their last trip there years before.

“Your mother told me what happened,” he said when they were seated. “Her version of it, at least.” There was flat disapproval in his tone.

Rosa had called him, the night it happened. She hadn’t wanted to take the chance her mother would get her side of the story in first. Either she hadn’t, or it didn’t matter, because the look on her father’s face was one she’d never seen there before. Irritation, frustration, yes. But the anger was something new. She wondered what decision he’d come to in the two days since they’d talked.

“I know your mother very well, Rosa.” Her father took a sip of his bourbon, the ice clinking in the glass, and met her eyes. “How are you doing?”

“I’m fine, Dad. Really.” Rosa toyed with her fork. “Aedan has...” She broke off, unsure how much she wanted to tell her father about Aedan. They hadn’t had any conversations about him after Aedan had been fired from the restaurant.

“It’s all right, angel. You can talk about him. I know how important he is to you, even if I’m not so sure he’s the right man in your life at the moment. Let’s just say I’m trying to keep an open mind.”

“I’m staying with Aedan. He invited me, after Mom...” Rosa sighed. “Anyway. He’s got a big fight coming up—I don’t think I told you that. I’m trying to be supportive, but it’s hard.”

The waiter appeared with their order, and Rosa offered him a smile. She picked at her salad as he walked away.

“What’s really bothering you, Rosa?” Her father’s voice was gentle. “Is it your mother, or something with Aedan?”

Rosa laid down her fork and looked up at her father. “It’s the fight,” she admitted. “I worry. He says I worry too much, but I’m afraid he’s going to get hurt.”

“I’m sure that’s a real possibility. Boxing is a dangerous sport.”

Rosa shook her head. “It’s mixed martial arts. Which is worse. It’s like barely controlled chaos.” She tapped a fingertip nervously against the table. Then stopped. “There’s punching and hitting. And kicking. It’s just overwhelming to think he wants to do this professionally.”

For a long moment, her father was silent. Rosa poked at the lettuce on her plate, took a bite. He cut a piece off his steak but didn’t eat it. “Angel,” he said slowly. “Do you think that Aedan is really the best choice for you? Or you for him?”

Rosa’s stomach dropped. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

“I think you know.” Her father’s gaze held hers. “Sweetie, I’m not demanding that you leave him, but think about it this way. The two of you are from very different worlds. I didn’t have what we have now, when I was growing up, but even I can’t claim to really have experienced the kind of life he’s lived. I’ve never been poor. And you have never known anything but wealth and comfort. I wanted it that way.” He toyed with the fork in his hand. “I never wanted you to have to worry about anything.” He hesitated and then leaned forward. “Aedan, though, has never had the advantages you do. And that’s always going to be a barrier between you. Add to that your concerns about the fighting—which he is obviously committed to—and I’m just not sure the relationship is one you should be pursuing.”

“That’s not fair, dad.” Rosa set her napkin down. “It’s not Aedan’s fault he wasn’t born with money. It doesn’t make him less. He’s a good man.”

“That’s not at all what I’m saying.” Her father sighed. “I’m saying, angel, that as much as you might try, you can never understand what he has lived through.” He set his bourbon glass aside. “You will never have to worry about where your next meal is coming from, or even about getting a job if you don’t want one. You choose to share whatever home he has, but you always have the option of leaving. That’s something he can’t do.” He watched her, his eyes sad. “Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”

Biting her lip, Rosa nodded.

“You’ve told me that fighting is what he wants to do with his life. You’ve also told me it worries you. So you have to decide. Can you deal with the consequences of his ambitions? Because he’s not going to drop his dream for you.” His voice softened. “And it’s not fair to ask him to.”

I never thought of it like that. The words lingered on the tip of Rosa’s tongue, but she didn’t say them, because of course her father knew, or he wouldn’t have brought up the subject in the first place. She thought over the questions he’d asked, and shook her head. “Honestly, Dad, I... I don’t know.”

She wanted to support Aedan. But the thought of him injured, bleeding—the knowledge that he could suffer permanent damage, or worse—was impossible to push aside.

“It’s something you should think about,” he said, lifting his bourbon glass to his lips again. “Both of you deserve that much.”

Silence fell over them, then. Rosa thinking about Aedan and their future. What was going through her father’s mind she couldn’t have said. She picked up her fork and mechanically ate her salad. Her father finished his steak.

Finally, she pushed her plate away. “Dad? Was that all you wanted to talk to me about? You think I’m making a mistake. Or do you not want me to make the same mistake you did?” She was pushing it, she knew it but couldn’t stop herself.

“Aedan’s important to you. And your happiness is important to me.” Her father took a deep breath. “But no. That’s not all I wanted to speak to you about.” He lifted a hand to catch the attention of the waiter walking past, and ordered another bourbon. Then he turned back to Rosa.“I wanted to tell you that I’ve decided to divorce your mother.”

Rosa blinked.

It wasn’t that she was particularly shocked by the idea of someone wanting to cut ties with her mother; she understood the feeling intimately. But her father had never shown any interest in confronting his wife before. Rosa had given up on him ever realizing he might be better off without her.

“What made you decide?” she asked finally.

“This last incident.” Her father pushed his plate aside as well. “I’ve let her get away with far too much over the course of our marriage. But not this. This has pushed me over the edge. Or, it’s been a wakeup call to something I should’ve done a long time ago.”

Rosa reached across the table, taking her father’s hand. “Dad, I’m so sorry. This must be hard for you.”

“Actually, not as much as you’d think.” He flashed a smile that almost reached his eyes. “I do have you to thank though, at least in part.”

Rosa frowned at her father. “Me? Why would you thank me?”

“You reminded me what loving someone should be. And that I don’t have to sit and endure.” He took a sip of bourbon. “Your mother stopped loving me a long time ago. I see in you and Aedan what we were like when we were first together.” He squeezed her hand. “I know I’ve expressed some doubt about your relationship, but it’s plain to me how much you love him, against all the odds. It makes me realize staying with your mother isn’t what I should be doing. It’s a sham and both she and I are better than that. She’d found her outlet through...other activities. Other men. And I’ve let her get away with that in the context of our marriage far too long.”

“What’re you going to do? Are you moving out?”

Her father sat back, shaking his head. “No. I own the building and the apartment. Your mother’ll get enough through the divorce settlement to set herself up nicely, wherever she chooses. I wish her no ill, but I want her out of my—our—home.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “And by our, I mean your home too, Rosa. You are always welcome there. I know you’re an adult, with a life of your own, but you’ll always have a place to come home to.”

Rosa brushed sudden tears from her eyes. “Thanks, Dad. That means more than you realize. Right now, though, I’m happy where I am. With Aedan.”

“Is this a permanent move?”

“I don’t know. I just...didn’t feel I could stay at home, and Aedan offered. It’s hard for him; it’s a big adjustment. But he’s so focused on his fight right now I don’t think he’s really thought about it.”

“When’s the match?”

“Tomorrow.” Rosa fidgeted with her fork. “I still haven’t told him if I’ll be there or not. I just can’t make myself say the words. It’s too hard. I’m too scared of what’ll happen if he gets hurt.”

Her father reached across the table, placing his hand over hers. “Give it some thought, angel. I’m sure you’ll find the answer. And if you need me, for anything, I’m never more than a phone call away.”

* * *

AEDAN WAS AT THE APARTMENT when she let herself in, sitting on the couch with his feet up on the coffee table.

“Why aren’t you at the gym? Is something wrong?”

Aedan shook his head. “No, Frank wanted me to get a good night’s sleep, so he sent me home. Where were you?”

“I had lunch with my father.” Sighing, she sank down on the couch next to Aedan. “He’s divorcing my mother.”

“Holy shit. Where did that come from?” He reached for her hand.

“I guess he finally decided to stop letting her treat him so badly.”

Aedan pulled Rosa to him and she rested her head in his lap. His hand settled warmly on her shoulder, thumb stroking over the curve of it. “I’m sorry, Rosa. It must be hard.”

“Not so much,” Rosa admitted quietly. “I’m sad for my dad, but it’s something he should’ve done a long time ago.”

They were quiet for a long time, Aedan’s fingers carding gently through Rosa’s hair. She took a breath and let it out again, her father’s words playing through her mind. Was she really supporting him? Could she give him what he needed while he chased his dream?

“What time do you have to leave tomorrow?” She turned her head to look up at him, eyes moving over the curve of his jaw.

“Frank wants me at the gym early. He’ll take me to the bout.”

She heard the unasked question in Aedan’s voice. She sighed and sat up. For a moment she was silent, wondering if she was making the right decision. There was no going back from this point. But his eyes were locked with hers, a silent plea behind the still acceptance in his expression. If she wanted him, she needed to be there for him. Really be there.

“I’ll come.”

Aedan stared at her. “You mean that?”

Despite the nervous worry that still coiled in her stomach, Rosa smiled. “Yeah, I mean it.”

His arms closed around her, drawing her in close, and Aedan laughed. “I didn’t think... I wasn’t sure... It means a shit-load. I mean, I won’t disappoint you.” He brushed kisses against her jaw, her cheek, her mouth.

She could feel the relief thrumming through him. The joy. She hadn’t realized how much her indecision had weighed on him until she felt that weight lifted.

“I told you I’d support you.” She smiled up at him. “And I meant that.”

Aedan’s mouth found hers again, and this time she opened to the kiss, sinking into it. When it broke, both of them were breathing faster.

“You sure you should be starting something?” She teased as his hands slid up her thighs. “After all, you’re supposed to be getting an early night.”

“Then I guess we’ll just need to see how fast I can get you off.”

Rosa was still laughing as he threw her over his shoulder and hauled her off to the bedroom.