Sweets of Fire by Wendy Meadows

Author:Wendy Meadows [Meadows, Wendy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Majestic Owl Publishing LLC
Published: 2020-08-04T16:00:00+00:00

9

When David’s car pulls up in front of the house, I go out to meet him. I let myself into the passenger seat and wave him toward the highway.

He raises his eyebrows and studies me on the side. “What’s this all about?”

“Your daughter is in my living room. I found her in tears on my porch when I got home from work.”

He jolts upright. “What’s wrong with her? Is she all right?”

I take a deep breath. “I hate to be the one to tell you this, but she misses her mother. She’s heartsick over the loss, and she’s been putting on an act all this time of being happy and well-adjusted to save your feelings. She wishes everything was back the way it was before she ever found out you were her father. She’s been making herself sick denying her emotions, but she can’t go on this way. She’s living in dread that you will find out because she’s afraid you’ll hate her the way she hates herself. She even said she hates her life and she wishes she was dead.”

He clenches his teeth and shakes his head. He glares out at the road and tightens his fists on the steering wheel. He doesn’t say anything for a long time.

I let that stew for a while. I knew it would hit him like a bomb, but at least he knows the truth now. Now he can deal with it head on instead of it sneaking up on him from behind.

We get all the way to Peterborough and park in front of the liquor store before I touch his arm. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” he snaps. “What do I have to not be fine about? I’ll take her to see Pauline if that’s what she wants. I never wanted to supplant Pauline in Ariel’s heart. Ariel never had to put on an act for my sake. I don’t care if she still loves Pauline or if she’s broken up because she wants to live with Pauline and now she can’t. I understand how she feels. Hell, I would feel the same way if I was in her position. I only wish she could have told me herself, but I don’t even mind that she told you instead. I’m just glad I know the truth now so I can do something about it.”

“That’s what I told her. I think just the dread of you finding out made it a hundred times worse. Once she knows you understand and that you’re willing to accommodate her, she’ll be fine. She also needs to know she can express her grief and distress to you and not have to hide it.”

“I never asked her to hide it.” He sounds mad, but I know him well enough to recognize that he’s actually hurting. “I know I’m nothing as a parent compared to Pauline. Pauline did an amazing job of raising Ariel and now she’s gone. Ariel has every right to be upset about that. I’ll never be able to live up to that standard.

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