Dad’s shoulders sagged, and he pinched the bridge of his nose. It was quiet for several seconds, the sound of the soccer game filling the void. “You’re practically asking me to hand her over to you,” Dad huffed.
“That’s not what I’m asking at all,” Cane assured him. “She is still your daughter, Derek, and you are the first man she ever loved. Nothing in this world will change that. Ever. If anything, I’m second place for life, but I’ll take that if it means having a place in her life at all.”
My heart skipped a beat at those words, and Dad turned halfway, looking Cane over. “I need time to think,” he mumbled, slouching in his chair and picking up the beer Mom had brought down.
“No problem.” Cane took a step back, and Mom sighed. She came my way, rubbing the middle of my back as I turned for the staircase, following after Cane.
When we were in the kitchen, she said, “He’s a stubborn ass, but he’ll come around. I know it.”
“I hope so.” I sat at the counter, grabbing a cookie from the plate and biting into it.
“I can order pizza if you two are hungry,” she offered, looking between us.
“No…it’s okay.” I finished off the cookie. “We should probably get back. I don’t want things to get too tense around here. But before I go, guess what?”
She smiled, hand on her hip. “What?”
“I might be going back to school.”
“Oh, good!” Her eyes lit up. “Where are you thinking of going?”
“The University of North Carolina at Charlotte.” I looked at Cane. “Cane knows some people there. He said he might have to pull some strings, but has no doubt they’ll take me in the fall.”
“Oh, baby! That is amazing! I’m so happy to hear that. Oh, that reminds me!” She rushed to the drawer behind her and pulled out an envelope. “This is for you.” She handed it to me. My name was written on it.
“What is it?”
Her grin was smug. “Open it and see.”
I ripped it open carefully, taking out the folded paper. When I unfolded it and read it, my eyes expanded. “This is for…”
“I opened an account for you. I know you said you didn’t want to talk much about the trial, but the money is all yours. It came in a few days after you left. We haven’t touched it. I was planning on surprising you with it one day to let you know you could use it for school or whatever, but I’m glad he’s doing this for you. Now the money is yours. You’ll probably need supplies, books—this can go toward that.”
“Aw, Mom.” I walked around the counter, throwing my arms around her neck and hugging tight.
“Oh!” She couldn’t help her laugh, and she hugged me back even tighter.
“I was going to tell you to take your car, but I assume Cane has already taken care of that issue.”
He laughed, showing off his perfect teeth. “I couldn’t not get her one.”
“You spoil her, you know that?” Mom teased.
“Yeah,” he chuckled. “I know, and I’m pretty sure you warned me about that many times over the years. Now I’m trapped.”
Mom and I laughed with him.
She ended up ordering pizza anyway, and we ate with her. She went on about my tattoo, scolding me for getting one, but when Cane explained the meaning of it to her, she let up…but only a little bit. She was a lawyer, after all. She didn’t believe in tattoos or piercings other than on the ears.
Dad didn’t come up from his man cave…not that I was expecting him to. I don’t think there was anyone as stubborn or bullheaded as my father, especially while he was drunk.
Before I knew it, it was time to go. I hugged Mom goodbye one last time. “Tell Dad I’ll see him again soon,” I said over her shoulder, squeezing my eyes shut.
“Why don’t you tell me yourself?” a deep voice asked.
I opened my eyes and pulled away from Mom as Dad came through the threshold. I didn’t think about what to do or how to do it. I just went to him, throwing my arms around him.
He groaned. Sighed. “Be safe,” he murmured, rubbing my back.
“I will.”
“And call me if you need anything or if anything goes wrong.”
I laughed. “Dad, I will.”
It took him a few seconds, but he finally let me go, and I walked off the porch, giving them one more wave goodbye before heading to the car.
Cane was standing by the driver’s side, waiting for me. He tipped his head at Dad, who subtly tipped his head too while collecting Mom in his arms, and then we got in the car.
They stood there, watching us leave, and I looked at them the whole time, only turning away when I could no longer see them.