“AJ is short for Andrew James?” My eyes widened.

“Frankly, I’m surprised you didn’t figure it out. The two of you were inseparable every summer,” Charlie spoke.

“I was eight years old the last time I saw him. I didn’t even know his name was Andrew. Nobody ever called him that. Not even his parents. I only knew him as AJ. How the hell would I know he was Andrew?”

I placed my hands on my head as my anger and confusion grew.

“Why wouldn’t he tell me from the beginning?! For fuck sakes, I worked for his company. I was his girlfriend! Why would he find me and not tell me!”

“You think you met up with him all these years later by accident, Rosebud?”

“What?” I turned my head and stared into Charlie’s eyes.

“Andrew has been watching over you for the past nine years.”

“Excuse me?” I shook my head.

“I saw him and his family here at the marina the summer he was sixteen years old. One day, when his parents went off to do some shopping, I approached his boat and got to talking to him about random things. We talked about the summers and he told me about the Hamptons. He talked all about you and how he wished he could see you again. It was then I knew I could trust him. I took him out one night when his parents were at a party thrown by their friends. We talked. I told him who I was, what happened, and why I had to do what I did. I hired him to look after and to take pictures of you and send them to me. So, the box you found under his bed were photos I paid him to take.”

“I can’t believe any of this.” I paced around the deck.

“Addison, it killed me not to be able to see you grow up and miss the important events of your life. I got to watch my little girl become this beautiful woman because of him and I will forever be in his debt.”

“It doesn’t excuse the fact that he lied to me about everything. Our entire relationship was based on a lie, Dad!”

“He was afraid of losing you. He’s trying so hard to divorce Ellie. The poor guy has been miserable since he found out she was pregnant. Not to mention the fact that she’s certifiably crazy.”

He pulled his ringing phone from his pocket, looked at it, and then at me. I knew it was Andrew who was calling him.

“Hey. I’ll have to call you back. Yeah, she’s here and she’s safe. Talk to you soon.”

After Charlie ended the call, he placed his phone back in his pocket, looked at me, and took hold of both my hands.

“He loves you, Rosebud. He always has, and he’s worried about you.”

Tears started to fill my eyes.

“I don’t know if I could ever trust him again, Dad.”

“Addison, sometimes we have to lie to protect the ones we love.”

“I still can’t believe you’re here and I’m talking to you,” I spoke. “I never got over your death, and in some way, I think it was because I never really felt you were gone.” A tear streamed down my face.

“Andrew told me that you were having a hard time and he also told me that you freaked out when he took you to the marina.”

“I never went near a boat or the water again after that night. I couldn’t. The memories of that day were too painful.”

“He was supposed to bring you here himself and we were going to talk to you together and explain everything. But then you found out about Ellie and the pictures before he had the chance. He and I both needed to make sure you were ready for this.”

“And what would have happened if I didn’t fall for him?” I asked with a slight attitude.

“There was no doubt in my mind that you wouldn’t.”

“We were eight years old, Charlie.”

“It doesn’t matter, Rosebud. The two of you had such a strong connection to each other and something like that just doesn’t disappear. I know you felt it the first time you saw him again.”

“Fuck!” I placed my face in my hands.

“I’m so sorry, baby. But you have to understand why both Andrew and I did what we did.”

“I’m trying, Charlie. I really am!”

“I know it’s going to take a while for you to absorb all of this and I understand.”

“Do you ever get lonely here?” I asked him with a sadness in my voice.

“I have friends. But nothing or no one could ever replace you or your mother and the life we had together.”

“Mom still misses you something terrible, and at times, I feel bad for Edward because he will always walk in your shadow.”

“Edward is a good man, and as hard as it is, I’m happy he stepped in and took care of the two of you. You needed a father figure in your life.”

“I resented her for marrying him, but he was good to me and he tried really hard to fill your shoes, but I wouldn’t let him.”

Charlie reached over and grabbed hold of my hands, giving them a gentle squeeze.

“Are you hungry?” he asked.

“Maybe a little,” I replied.

“Come on, let’s go to the Fish Shack and grab something to eat. They have the best fish n chips in the world.” He smiled.

We got up from the table, and as we were walking off the boat, he turned to me.

“By the way, you’re my niece, and I’m Bobby Griffin from Wichita, Kansas.” He smirked.

As we were eating the world’s best fish n chips, according to Charlie, and talking about my teenage years, my cell phone rang, and Emma was calling.

"Hello," I answered.

"Where the hell are you? Do you have any idea how worried we are about you? We come home from work to a note that said nothing but how you needed to get away. Are you okay? What's happened? Who are you with?"

Emma always overreacted just a bit.

"Emma, please calm down. I'm fine. I just needed some time on my own to think about things, that's all."

"Have you talked to Andrew?"

"No, I haven't. Why do you ask?"

"I saw him at Neiman Marcus today and he looked like someone just killed his dog."

"I have to go, Emma. I’m fine. I just took a little trip to Florida to clear my head. I'll call you soon.”

"Wait…when will you be…"

I hit the end button.

Charlie sat across from me and laughed, for he could hear every word Emma shouted.

“Your friends love you very much and I’m so grateful to them. You know they can never know about me, right?”

“I know.” I looked down.

After we ate, we walked back to Charlie’s boat. I was exhausted. We stood at the railing and stared up at the brightly lit starry sky.

“I looked up at these stars every night,” I spoke.

Charlie hooked his arm around me and I laid my head on his shoulder.

“If you're ever sad or lonely, just look at the stars, for they will watch over you and light your way,” he spoke.

“I never forgot those words, Dad.” I let out a big yawn.

“Get some sleep, Rosebud.” He smiled as he kissed my head. “You can take my room. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“No, Dad. This is your boat.”

“No arguing.” He smiled. “You’re sleeping in my bed.”

****

I could smell the fresh brew of coffee as I opened my eyes. Nice and strong was how Charlie liked it. I walked up on deck and smiled as I saw Charlie sitting there reading the newspaper. It reminded me of when I was a little girl on Sunday mornings.

“Hey, Rosebud, how did you sleep?”

“I slept good, Dad. How about you?” I kissed his cheek.

“Not too bad. That couch is comfier than I thought it would be.”

I poured myself a cup of coffee and sat down across from Charlie.

“What are your plans?” he asked.

I looked down at my cup and ran my finger around the rim.

“I don’t know, Dad. I don’t know where to go from here.”

“First things first, you need to make peace with Andrew. Now that you know everything, it’s time to start fresh.”

I sighed.

“Do you love him, Rosebud?”

“Yes.”

“Then give him another chance. Things will be different now. But he still has Ellie to deal with, so you’re going to have to understand that.”

“I do understand.”

We sat for a long time and talked about Madeline. Even though he laughed at half the stuff I told him she did, I could see the pain that resided in his eyes. The thought of leaving Florida frightened me. I didn’t want to leave him. I wanted to stay and be close to him, but he wouldn’t allow it.

“Addison, you have a life in New York. Go live it. Make peace with Andrew, get your job back, and have fun with your friends.”

“You’re my life, Dad,” I spoke with tears in my eyes. “I just got you back.”

“Give me your phone,” he spoke.

Handing him my phone, he typed in his number and handed it back to me.

“Bobby?” I laughed.

“That’s how it has to be, honey. You know that. It’s not a good idea to really talk on the phone, but we can text back and forth. Just don’t call me Dad. You never know who’s looking over your shoulder.”