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Her eyes glazed over and she swallowed hard. She didn’t want to cry. It wouldn’t help. It never had.
She pressed the heel of her hand to her head over her eye and massaged the building headache, knowing if she wasn’t careful, she’d have a full-blown cluster migraine. That was the last thing she needed.
“Summer, are you all right?”
The concern in her father’s voice, the pain in her head, and the ache in her heart sent tears falling down her cheeks. When she turned to him, she saw the concern in his eyes as he came to her and stopped short in front of her.
“Please don’t cry, honey. Natalie is... Natalie. She’s never easy about anything. It takes her time to come to terms with new things that disrupt her world. You should have seen her when we brought Haley home from the hospital. She wanted to know when we were taking her back.”
Summer grinned. “It’s clear she’s wondering the same about me.”
“She’s wrong about you, too. I know you don’t want anything from me. You deserve a hell of a lot, but I know you’re not here to ask for it.”
“I have everything I need, except the one thing I’ve always wanted.”
“Me?” Her dad looked pleased, but also unsure that’s what she meant.
“Yes. I wish I could explain what it’s like to know your father doesn’t want you. I spent my whole life thinking I wasn’t good enough for you to stay.”
Immense pain filled his eyes, along with a healthy dose of bitterness. “I didn’t do that to you, Summer.”
“She did. And even though I know her reason why, and I know it’s not true, it’s really hard to change how I feel inside. I know it will come, but right now, hearing how Natalie feels about me being here, the tension I sense in you because you’re angry with my mother... It’s a lot to process.”
She took a shuddering breath and said the one thing her heart wanted him to know. “I’ve missed you every day of my life.”
He closed the distance and wrapped her in his arms. “Aw, honey, if I’d known about you, I’d have been in your life every day. I’d have been the father you needed and wanted. You have to believe me. I am so proud you’re my daughter.” He hugged her close, but leaned back and looked into her eyes. “Nothing and no one is going to keep me from you ever again. I love you, Summer.”
Hearing the words undid her. “I love you, too.”
“Every time I look at you, I feel like I need to do a double take.”
“It’s the eyes.” She met his. “It’s strange to see my eyes on someone else. Growing up, I always thought I looked like you. I mean, I had to because I don’t really look like Mom.”
“Your face is definitely an improved version of mine, but if memory serves, she was just about your height and build.”
Summer grinned. “That build is what draws men to her.”
Her father’s cheeks pinked. “I’ll admit, she caught my eye.”
Summer smirked. “I’ll bet.”
“But I remember other things about Jessica. The way she walked with confidence. The way her head tilted when she laughed. The way her shoulders elegantly shrugged off whatever didn’t suit her.”
“She has that down to perfection.”
“You take things to heart. You worry about others, your mother the most. You worry about what others think and how they feel around you. I saw it at dinner. You wanted to reassure Natalie.”
Summer walked to the edge of the pool and stared down at the clear water. “I don’t blame Natalie for her suspicions.”
“I wish Jessica had been a better mother to you.”
Summer shrugged. “I think she wanted a best girlfriend more than she wanted a child. She can actually be good at the friend part sometimes. The mother thing... not so much.”
“She and I will settle up one day. But that isn’t for you to worry about. I just want you to be happy here with me for as long as I can get you to stay.”
She had to admit, now that she had him in her life, going back to Texas seemed sad and lonely and more of the same life she had been existing in rather than really living.
Maybe it was time to take a good, hard look at her life and decide what worked and what didn’t for her now. The one thing she knew for sure, she wasn’t ready to leave.
