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“Bella,” he warned. “I thought we talked about this.”
Her shoulders drooped. “I know. But sometimes it’s hard to get his words out of my head.”
“I don’t want to lecture you to try harder, because I get it,” he said, thinking of the verbal beatdowns he got as a teen when his father was on another bender.
The asshole was always drinking, but less during the day, then drowning himself at night.
If functioning alcoholic was a sport, his father had multiple gold medals.
But when the sun went down, so did Robert Ryder’s control.
Line ‘em up had been his father’s favorite three words.
“I know you do. But Regan says that, to move on, I need to face those things that still hold me back.”
Maybe he shouldn’t have stopped seeing Regan himself.
Talk about good advice.
“Before we move on from that, is there anything else from Dad that is bothering you? I know I can’t ask you to say it all at once, but if there is anything you can think of now, just tell me.”
Her head went down and he knew there was.
He’d give her space to say it. He learned that letting the silence sit heavy between them actually gave her the courage to push through.
“We kind of talked about it last weekend.”
His brain was racing. What the hell had they talked about?
All he remembered was a blur of stores and his credit card burning.
“Can you be more specific? I’m still traumatized after spending so much time in the mall.”
That soft teenage snort that wasn’t held back forced him to keep his grin in place. “It wasn’t that bad.”
“Cuz you like to shop.”
She shrugged. The kind that said it was true, but she didn’t want anyone to know.
“It’s fun. But it’s not like I’ve done a lot of it.”
“So this is about money?” he asked, guessing.
“Yes.”
“I told you, you’ve got money. I just don’t think you should have it to spend on whatever you want. Don’t worry about finances, Bella. First and foremost, I’m in a much better position and more stable than Dad ever was. You guys only lived in small apartments.”
“Like you did before I came along.”
“It was my choice to do that out of laziness and convenience. Nothing more. I don’t feel the need to sit down and explain budgets with you, but know that my mortgage payment isn’t much more than my rent was.”
“Really? If it works like that, then why don’t more people own a home?”
He didn’t really want to give an economic lesson right now. “It’s complicated. But you need money upfront. And when you own a home, you’re responsible for all the repairs. It’s more than just a monthly payment. Someday we’ll get into that more. But know that money is not an issue.”
Did he have less than before because he was feeding a second mouth? Paying for her needs, although she barely asked for anything. Yeah, he did, but it was no hardship.
And if it was, he’d never let her know.
