CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
MARCUS
I hadn't seen Dan for a few days after the confrontation, though I knew he and Emma were talking about everything that had happened. She told me things were tense, but that they were working themselves out. It wasn't pretty at the moment, but she tried to assure me that eventually, he'd come around.
I was skeptical, but she promised me a million different times in a million different ways that I no longer had to worry about him making a scene at my place again, which was good. The last thing I wanted was to be any more of a spectacle around the neighborhood than I thought I already was.
So, it was with a healthy dose of surprise when I came home from work, kids in tow after picking them up at daycare, to find Dan Taylor sitting on my front porch.
He stood up the moment we approached and I felt the knot in my stomach constrict painfully. The look on his face told me this wasn't a warm and fuzzy neighborly social call. Not knowing what I was walking into made me nervous.
I kept my kids close to my side, didn't get too close to him, and kept an eye on him, just in case things got out of hand.
He was the first to speak, “Marcus, we should talk,” he said, his voice surprisingly calm – a calm that didn't exactly match the dark look upon his face.
I nodded. “That would probably be a good idea,” I said. “Come inside.”
Once we were inside my home, I turned to the kids, “Why don't you head out back and play? Let daddy and Mr. Taylor talk for a bit, okay?”
They were more than happy to do that, as I often had them do chores when we first got home, so it was an unexpected and very welcome break in routine for them.
As soon as we were alone, I motioned for Dan to join me at the kitchen table.
“Would you like a beer? Some wine?” I offered.
“No thanks,” he said.
He was still calm and his tone was still very pleasant, which gave me some small spark of hope that maybe I was just being paranoid and that this little discussion was going to go well after all.
I thought briefly about grabbing a beer, but opted against it and sat down across from him, folding my hands on the table in front of me, waiting for him to speak. He stared down at his hands which were also folded on the table in front of him – almost like he was trying to find the words to say. I gave him all the time he needed.
“Listen,” he said at last, “I'm sorry about the other night. I overreacted. I admit that I was out of line and out of control. I'll gladly pay for any and all damages.”
“No worries,” I said. “My car will be fine. I'm insured, I just told them some neighborhood kids went a little wild. They've covered everything. It's not a problem.”
Dan looked up at me. “I appreciate that,” he said. “You could have turned me in. You had every right to call the cops and file a report. I wouldn't have blamed you.”
I shrugged. “And you had every right to kick my ass, so I think we're even.”
There was a hint of a smile. “No, I don't have a right to act like that,” he said. “No matter how upset I am with you. It's just hard, Marcus. She's my daughter.”
“And I promise you, I love her dearly,” I said. “I'd never hurt her. Not in a million years. She's just this amazingly bright light that I couldn't help but be drawn to, Dan. Emma is an amazing woman.”
“But put yourself in my shoes,” he said. “Imagine if this was Zoey.”
I sighed. “And while I can make no promises for how I'd react, I'd like to think I'd let her make her own choices. As long as I knew she was safe and he was being good to her,” I said. “I'd let her date whoever she wants. But I know, sometimes emotions get in the way.
“As a father, I absolutely understand where you're coming from, I do. But Emma isn't a child anymore, Dan. And I'm not the guy I used to be in college. I haven't been for a long, long time, even though some people can't seem to see me as anybody but that guy. I screwed up back then, yeah. I screwed up big time. But I've learned. I've grown a lot. I have kids who are my whole world. I've been married and loved a woman more than life itself. I'm no longer afraid of commitment. You can't hold it against me that I was an asshole in my younger days. You were no angel yourself, from some of the things Gina told me.”
Dan winced. “Gina talked about me?”
“Yeah, she did. As soon as she realized we were living next door to you, she mentioned that the two of you used to be together back in the day,” I said.
I wasn't going to bring up the reasons Gina left him, it was petty and would likely be hurtful. Even now. It was a long time ago and I knew Dan wasn't the same man he used to be, and neither was I. Which is what made this all so incredibly maddening. I could accept the fact that Dan had grown and changed as he got older, shouldn't I be afforded the same consideration?
“I've known, for some time,” I said, “but I figured that was in the past. You're not the same guy you were back then, Dan. You seem happily married now.”
“I am. Very happily,” he said, sounding a little defensive. “Don't ever doubt that. Meredith is the love of my life.”
I nodded. “I know. I'm not doubting that,” I replied. “I know love is complex. It's a complicated thing and that you can love, truly love, multiple people in your lifetime. I loved Gina with my whole heart. I still do. But I also love Emma. It's no less genuine or intense. It's just different.”
“It's hard, letting go. She's my little girl, Marcus. She's always going to be my little girl,” he said with a deep sigh, putting his head in his hands. “But what choice do I have? She's old enough to make her own decisions now. And I guess I need to find a way to come to terms with that, but I'm finding it nearly impossible. I know that I need to let her live her life or risk losing her completely.”
“So, does that mean you're okay with me dating Emma?” I asked.
“Would you stop dating her if I asked you to?” he asked.
“If I'm being perfectly honest, then no. I wouldn't,” I said flatly. “If Emma wanted to end things, that would be different. But I'm not inclined to end things because it makes you uncomfortable, Dan. I'm sorry if that sounds harsh or rude, but I'm just trying to give you the respect of being honest with you. That, and I'm just trying to make things easier on the woman I love. And I know that having her father's approval would mean the world to her.”
Dan didn't say anything for a while. He just sat there staring down at his hands, his mind quite obviously, swirling in a thousand different directions. “You know, I might take one of those beers now,” he said. “I think I might need one.”
“Coming right up,” I said.
After he popped open the bottle and took a long swig, he looked over at me. “I may not be completely okay with it, but I won't get in your way,” he said. “I don't want to lose my daughter and I want her to be happy.”
“You're a good father,” I said. “And you've raised an amazing young woman. You should be proud of her.”
He looked up at me and I saw the shine of tears in his eyes. “I am, Marcus,” he said softly. “I really am.”