Jan looks at me before looking back at Amelia. “Just wondering if you and I could sneak out for some girl time today.”
“Shopping?” Amelia grimaces, but when she sees her mom’s hopeful look, she says, “Okay, but only if we can head to the record store; I’ve got my eye on a classic I’ve been waiting to come in.”
Jan scrapes her chair back with an excited look on her face. “I better go and sort myself out then.”
“I’m ready, I just need to finish my coffee and then we can head out.” Amelia pauses, her eyes widening, an excited gleam in them. “We’ll take my car.”
“Your car?” Jan asks, stalling.
“Yep.” Amelia nods, a smile stretching on her face. “Nate leased one for me for Christmas. It’s awesome, I can drive it myself and everything.” She leans forward. “There’s even this thing I attach my chair to and it takes it around the back into the trunk.”
“Wow.” Carl looks at me, something in the depths of his eyes I can’t quite pinpoint. “Sounds like quite the car.”
“It is,” Amelia replies as Jan walks out of the kitchen to get ready.
I listen as Amelia and Carl talk for a couple of minutes until Jan comes back.
“Ready?” she asks.
Jan nods. “Lead the way to this car of yours.”
Amelia wheels over to me, leaning forward and I meet her halfway for a kiss as she murmurs, “I’ll see you later.” She pauses and raises her voice. “Have fun with my dad.”
My eyes widen and Carl chuckles, placing a hand on my shoulder. “I’ll take good care of him.”
“Mmmhmm.” She raises a brow as her dad places a kiss on the top of her head before she pushes out of the kitchen, Jan following behind her.
I clear my throat when the front door closes, sitting back down at the table. Carl sits down too and looks over at me.
There’s several minutes of silence before he announces, “She’s my baby girl.”
I try to keep the amused expression I want to give him off my face. “I know.”
“And as my only child, all I’ve ever wanted for her is to be happy and safe.” His expression turns serious which in turn has my lips forming a straight line. “I felt like you were taking that away from me. I wasn’t here to keep her safe in the first place and then there you were, swooping in and offering to take care of her.”
I think back to the day when we brought Amelia’s things back here and shake my head. “That was never my intention,” I say softly.
He stands, taking both of our cups over to the coffee pot and pouring a new batch. “I know that now but right then all I knew was my daughter couldn’t walk. I wanted to wrap her up in cotton wool but you were offering her more than I could ever provide.”
His back tenses and I feel guilt swirling in my stomach at his confession. “I honestly never thought about it like that; I just wanted to help.”
He turns and walks over to me, placing the cup in front of me and sitting back down. “That’s because it wasn’t your problem, it was mine. I stupidly pushed her away during the time she needed me the most, but you... you’ve been by her side every step of the way.”
“It never crossed my mind to be anywhere else.” He gazes out of the patio doors seemingly lost in the same memories as I am. “Do you remember the day we met?” With a nod of his head, I continue. “You asked me if I loved your daughter.”
He laughs. “So I did.”
“And I answered I did, but it’s nothing compared to what I feel for her now. She’s the strongest person I know.” A pregnant pause passes between us. “She was upset you two weren’t talking since she left the hospital, but she knew you still loved her and you’d come around eventually.”
He stares at me for a moment and I swear his eyes are starting to turn glassy. He clears his throat, getting himself under control. “Yeah… I guess it’s more than just her mom she gets her stubbornness from.”
“She’s also the most forgiving person I know so there’s no point in dwelling on whatever guilt you’re holding onto. She’d be upset knowing you feel this way.”
He drums his fingers on the table in front of us. “You know her pretty well, don’t you?”
Grinning, I pick up my cup and take a sip of coffee, warmth flooding through me at more than just the coffee. “I think I do, but I plan on spending the rest of my life discovering everything else there is to know.”
He splutters on his coffee. “What?”