"I see. I'm sorry you had to go through that, Beth. Raising her all on your own, without any family, without me ... I wish I could have been there for you."
"Me too. It always felt like something was missing, but I pushed through it all. For her."
"Why didn't you tell me yesterday?"
Beth sighed deeply and relaxed into Ken's arms. "I don't know. I was afraid, I guess. I didn't know if I could handle you rejecting her after you'd already so reluctantly accepted me."
Ken's eyes became shaded and haunted. "I could never do that."
"But you were mad."
"Yeah. My temper has gotten really bad these past few years. I should have let you explain. I'm sorry for scaring you. I'll do better, I promise. I don't want to be the reason you leave me again after I've just found you again."
She laughed. "I don't think I could, even if I wanted to. Ken ... if you want me, I'm yours. We've already lost so much time, why waste what's left with more bullshit?"
"I agree. Let's not waste any more time."
Beth fully relaxed into Ken's arms again. She was relieved that he was so willing to forgive and forget, but she still regretted not telling him sooner. She wished she'd been braver. Stronger. But in the end, she was grateful for what she and Ken still had together.
Still, this was only one step of many they would have to take together to truly repair the damage years had done between them. What if he met Joanna and didn't like her? Didn't believe she was his?
What if Joanna was the one to reject him?
That wouldn't happen, would it? Ken was her father, her real father. Beth's mate. The love of her life, even if he'd been lost to her for so long.
They had to come around to each other eventually if they didn't at first.
With a deep breath, she wiped away her tears and tilted her head up towards him. "Will you meet Joanna?" she asked, voice shaky but firm. "Our daughter?"
Ken paused and looked at her, his eyes shining with determination. "Of course I will. I'm ready as soon as you are."
A crash came from the kitchen, and Beth winced. "Good timing, I think. Let's go see what she's up to."
Chapter 9 - Ken
Ken followed a few paces behind Beth as she led him to the kitchen. His heart was stuck in his throat, because even though he wanted to meet Joanna officially, he had no idea what to say. What to do. She was his daughter, but he had no idea how to be a father.
Would she accept him or hate him? How much had Beth told her already?
Then found Joanna in the kitchen, two pots discarded in a mess on the floor, but it didn't seem like anything had spilled. She had a pan on the stovetop with far too many eggs cracked inside.
"Jo, what are you doing?" Beth said as soon as she walked into the kitchen. "I thought I told you not to mess with the stove."
"Well I'm hungry, and you were too busy arguing in your bedroom with your fuckbuddy to come feed me."
Beth gasped in horror. "Jo! Where did you even learn a word like that?"
"One of the older girls at school says it all the time. She said her mom has one even though she's married to her dad."
Ken snorted, trying to hide his laughter, but he could barely contain himself. Beth shot him a withering look, and he offered an apologetic shrug. He didn't want to interfere until Beth had said her piece, as much as he wanted to jump right in and introduce himself. Still, he absorbed every detail of the scene before him.
He hadn't gotten a good look at the girl named Joanna before, but now that she was standing with her mom, Ken could see their resemblance. Joanna had the same shape of face as Beth, the same little nose. But that dark hair? Those green eyes that could kill?
Those came from him.
The understanding that she was truly his daughter hit him like a truck. It left him speechless as the rest of the scene unfolded.
"I'm sorry I didn't get up in time to make breakfast," Beth said as she came up behind Joanna to assess the mess. "But I thought you knew how to make a proper omelet?"