Chapter 29
EVIE
I drop the spoon and dive for my phone as it starts to ring, thinking that it’s Dad, and he’s calling to cancel our dinner plans.
“Hi,” I say, sounding a little out of breath.
“Hey, gorgeous,” Kyle says.
Hearing Kyle’s voice instead, I quickly turn back to the stove and continue to stir the pasta sauce.
“Oh, hey,” I say, stirring a little faster so it won’t make clots as it thickens.
“Who’s there?” he asks sharply.
“No one. I’m making dinner. You caught me while I was busy with the sauce.”
“Don’t fucking lie to me, Evie!” He shouts, scaring me. I almost drop the phone.
I’m shocked out of my mind that Kyle just shouted at me. He’s never spoken to me like that. Sure we’ve had our moments over the past month because I haven’t been spending as much time with him as I used to, but I thought he understood that it was important to me to spend time with my dad.
“Who the fuck is there? Are you fucking someone else? I swear if I catch you with another –”
“No one is here, Kyle,” I say. “I’m making dinner for my dad. He’s coming over. I told you this when we spoke earlier.”
“You fucking bitch. I knew it. You tell whoever’s there that you’re mine,” he hisses.
Before I can think of something to reply he cuts the call, leaving me staring at the ruined sauce.
I remove the pot from the stove and start the whole process over while my mind reels.
What just happened? That couldn’t have been Kyle. He’s always sweet and gentle with me.
I manage to make the sauce without it ruining, and when everything is ready, I go sit on the couch and stare blankly at the floor.
How could I have been so wrong about Kyle?
A knock on my door pulls me out of my confused thoughts, and I get up. Opening the door, I smile when I see Dad.
“You made it,” I say as I move forward to hug him.
We’ve spent almost every day together since we found each other a month ago. With Dad still working as an active Navy SEAL, we’re making the most of our time together before he gets sent away.
Hugging me tightly, he presses a kiss to the top of my head.
“What smells so good?” he asks as we walk into the living room.
“The other day you mentioned that you loved pasta, so I made some for dinner.”
A broad smile spreads across his face, and it feels so good to know that I’m responsible for it.
“If it’s half as good as your mom’s, I’ll have to spend an extra hour at the gym tomorrow.”
I prepare two plates for us and hand Dad his as we sit down on the couch.
I’m just about to apologize that I don’t have a table we can sit at, when Dad says, “I know it’s soon, but I want you to think about moving into my apartment. I’m away quite often, and the place just stands empty.”
My lips part and I can’t make the words come out.
A sad look makes me keep quiet, as he continues, “I didn’t have a chance to raise you, Evie. I missed out on so many important parts of your life. I’d like a chance to make up for that. I’d like a chance to be your father. I want to take care of my little girl. I can’t let you live here. It’s not safe. I worry every time I have to leave you here.”
“Daddy,” I whisper as I place my hand on his arm. When he watches me with so much intensity, as if my following words might either make or break him, I smile. “Of course I will. That way I can make sure you eat a decent meal every day.”
Surprise flashes over his face. “You will? Did you just agree to let me take care of you?”
I nod as I start to laugh. “Yes, Dad.” My laughter fades away, and my bottom lip starts to tremble as I say, “Mostly I want to be a family. You don’t have to take care of me. I just want to feel what it’s like to have a family home.”
He moves our plates so fast to the coffee table and wraps me in his arms, that a breath rushes from me.
“I’m going to give you all of that and so much more. I’m going to make it up to you, Evie. I promise.”
I nod as I curl deeper into his embrace. I close my eyes, and for the millionth time, I send up a prayer of thanks that I found my dad.
We pick up our plates, and each takes a bite of food. I observe Dad’s face to see if he likes it.
As he chews, his eyes slowly drift close, and a look of pure appreciation fills his face. He swallows, and a moment later he opens his eyes. They’re shining with tears when he whispers, “It tastes exactly the same as your mom’s.” He smiles as he teases, “I’m so damn grateful you don’t cook like me. I burn everything in sight.”
When we’ve finished our meals, I make us some coffee.
After sitting down again, Dad asks, “Can we go walk around at a mall tomorrow? I want to see what kind of things you like.”
I let out a little burst of laughter. “I’m not a huge fan of shopping.”
“Not?” The surprise on his face is quite funny. “Your mom loved to shop. What do you like to do?”
“There is one thing I’ve always wanted to do,” I say, biting my bottom lip.
“What’s that?”
“Jump out of a plane.”
His mouth drops open. It seems I’ve just shocked my dad.
Then he grins at me, looking all proud.
“Finally, you got something from me besides your eyes.”
My eyes widen with excitement. “Does that mean you’ll take me?”
“As long as you’re strapped to me, we can jump out of planes as many times as you want.”
I let out a shriek of joy as I throw my arms around his neck.
“And can we go paragliding, and bungee jumping, and rappelling, and –”
My words are cut off when Dad starts to laugh.
“We can do all those things.”
∞∞∞
What was I thinking?
I can’t do this.
I try to take a step away from the edge, but being strapped to Dad’s chest stops me.
Oh crap.
I’m doing this.
Dad moves forward, and we start to tip forward. I let out a scream that’s slammed right back into my throat as the air hits me in the face.
A lifetime passes where I can only feel my heart racing madly in my chest. My body is suddenly jerked upwards, and then a calm settles over me.
Dad points to something on the ground, and I look down.
Oh wow. Everything is so small. I see patches of land, buildings, trees, and looking to my left, I see the ocean.
As Dad steers us towards the ground, I close my eyes and allow myself to feel this moment. It’s just my father and me, and we’re on top of the world.
As we near the ground, I pull my legs up like Dad told me to, and he takes the brunt of the impact. I expected us to roll across the grass, but instead, Dad takes a few steps before bringing us to a stop.
His hands move so fast, I can’t keep track of everything he’s doing, and before I know it, we’re unclasped, and he’s turning me around. His eyes search my face, and when I grin, he relaxes visibly.
“That was amazing,” I yell.
I throw myself at him, not even thinking that I might knock him off balance. He catches me against his solid chest.
I wrap my arms tighter around his neck and bury my face in his shoulder, as my emotions sky-rocket.
“I’m so glad I found you,” I cry. “I’ve only had you a few weeks, and already I can’t imagine my life without you.”
“You’ll never have to, Evie. I’m here now, and I’m never leaving you.”
Hearing the promise in his words fills me with a sense of belonging and safety. It’s like a security blanket has been wrapped around my heart.
When Dad sets me down on my feet, I look up into his eyes.
“How did I get so lucky?” I whisper. “You’re everything I dreamt a father would be.”
“It’s only because I had twenty-six years of dreaming what it would be like to have you in my life.”