We catch up to him eventually. He isn’t walking very fast, but he doesn’t stop even as we come to a halt in front of him. He pretends like he doesn’t even see us, trying to skirt around us, but I stand in his way, growling like a wild animal ready to protect its mate. This isn’t how a man is supposed to behave, especially not where his daughter is concerned.
“You can’t just walk away,” I snap.
He raises his eyebrows, his frown deepening.
“Watch me,” he grits out.
“No,” I snarl, blocking his path once again. “You don’t get to do this to her. Tara has been worrying for weeks about telling you about us. I told her there was nothing to worry about, that you’re her father and you’ll love her no matter what. Are you about to prove me wrong?”
“Of course I love her, but that doesn’t mean I want to speak to her,” he hisses, glaring up at me. “Don’t you think you’ve done enough without making things worse? You want to fix this? Stay the hell away from me and my daughter.”
“I can’t do that. I love your daughter more than anything in the world. And I’m not leaving her side.”
“Liar,” he snarls in return. “I don’t know what kind of sick game you’re playing with me, Nate, but this ends now. Why are you doing this to my daughter? What have we ever done to you?”
“You don’t understand. I’m not doing anything wrong. I’m trying to tell you that I’m with your daughter because I care about her. I knew there was something between us from the moment we met. There was a spark we couldn’t ignore, so we didn’t. We followed our hearts and it led us here. And we knew you’d feel angry with us, but that doesn’t mean we made the wrong decision. You need to open your eyes and see what’s in front of you…two people who care about one another very much. Is that so wrong?”
“Yes,” he snarls. “You’re too old for her. And you’re supposed to be my friend. You know you could have any woman in the world. Why did you have to chase my daughter, you sick bastard?”
“He’s not sick,” Tara cries. “You’re not listening, Dad. We both want this. We can’t help but want one another. Don’t you think we realize it would be much easier if we’d fallen for other people? We knew you wouldn’t be happy…but this connection between us is so strong. I can’t ignore it, Dad. I want to be with him. I’m sorry, Dad, but I’m not giving up on Nate.”
I’ve never been prouder of Tara. I can’t believe the way she’s standing up for herself. Even her dad seems a little shocked. I guess he’s used to her just doing or going along with whatever he wants and never complaining. But that ends here, today. She’s becoming her own woman, with or without her father’s blessing.
“He means the world to me,” Tara continues. “I know you must find it strange…seeing two people who are important to you together. And believe me, I almost walked away from Nate once, just to save your feelings. But my feelings were too strong. I can’t imagine a life without him now, Dad. Please don’t make me choose between the two of you…because I’ve already decided to be with Nate, no matter what. We’re building a family together.” Tara swallows, her hand moving instinctively to her stomach. “You’re going to be a grandpa, Dad.”
Her father’s eyes widen in shock. “What did you just say?”
“I’m pregnant, Dad. And no, that’s not why I want to stay with Nate. I made my decision a long time ago. This isn’t some meaningless fling. I love him with my whole heart, and I’m ready to have a life with him. I know you’re struggling to understand that right now, and I get it, I really do. There’s a lot for you to unpack. I can’t blame you for being angry and confused. But we’re not betraying you. We’d be betraying ourselves if we didn’t follow our feelings…can you at least try to understand that?”
Her dad looks too shocked to respond.
I guess we really have just dropped a bombshell on him.
I guess in his shoes, I might feel the same. He stares at Tara’s stomach as though an alien is about to pop out of it at any moment. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a person look so overwhelmed and confused.
“You…you love him?” he asks Tara. She nods slowly, her eyes filled with tears.
“So much, Dad. And I know this is a shock. I should have told you sooner…but I wanted to talk about it face to face. I know your instincts are telling you to run from us right now. I went through the same. But I’m still your daughter. I don’t love you any less just because I’ve found happiness with another man. I’m not going to abandon you for him…I just want to start building something else as well.”