chapter 16

DADDY *

I took a deep breath and allowed Haley to leave the room without incident. I

needed to speak to Roger alone anyway. I just wasn’t excited about it.

“Rog—”

He holds up his hand and interrupts me. I know that this is an important

moment in our friendship and I need to stand down.

“How long has this been going on?” he asks through gritted teeth.

“I never touched her until after her 18th birthday. Yesterday, to be exact.”

“But you wanted to touch her before then.”

It wasn’t a question. He was stating something we both knew, but he needed

to hear me say it.

“Roger, I’ve loved Haley from the first moment I saw her as a baby. When

Susan passed away I knew I would always be there for you both. You’re a

brother to me. I would never take advantage of your trust, or take advantage

of her. Come on, man, you know me better than that.”

“I thought I knew you. I walk into…into… I don’t know what the fuck this

is! But I’m blindsided. Imagine being in my position. I love you like my

own family, but that’s my daughter. She’s a child!”

I take another deep breath because I need him to accept this.

“I know this is all hard to take, but you know me. You know the life I live.

I’m not some predator looking for a child bride. I love Haley. The feelings

I’ve had for her have changed as we’ve both grown. You of all people

should know I don’t take love lightly. I don’t do relationships. Think about

it, when was the last time you saw me with a woman? When was the last

time you even heard me talk about a woman? I’ve waited my whole life for

her. Even if this is the end of our friendshipdpg I want you to know that it

won’t be the end of Haley and me. I will always love and protect her. She will always be my priority. I want you in our lives, and I want us to be

okay.”

He stared at me as if he were trying to make a decision.

“Roger, you want her to grow up and be an adult, but I know she’ll always

be your daughter. She’s young, and she’s naive, but I would never take

advantage of her. I want for her what you want for her. Only, I want to be

the one she depends on for the rest of her life. I think we both know Haley

well enough to know that she’s wanted this far longer than I have.”

He gives me another glare across the table.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he huffs.

“You know exactly what I mean. She’s made it perfectly clear to anyone

who would listen how she felt about me. For years.”

“It was a joke.”

“Roger. Search your heart. You know her. You know me. This isn’t

changing. I just want your blessing. I want to know that when she’s ready

and I ask her to marry me that you won’t step in. I’m bound to her in my

heart for the rest of my life, and I want you to be a part of our lives. “

He continued to glare at me, but slowly started to nod his head. I could see

the moment when he accepted what he heard as the truth. He may not have

liked the way things were, but he seemed to make a decision.

“This will take time to get used to. But I trust you, and I trust Haley.”

I nodded my head in agreement and he moved to go to the kitchen. Just

before he walked out of the room he turned and looked back at me. For

some unknown reason his eyes were full of sadness.

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