Chapter 70

With the steaks ready for the grill, I decided to take another stab at getting Sloane to talk to me. I took a deep breath, steeling myself for whatever emotions lay behind that door, and knocked gently.

"Sloane, can we talk?" I called out.

"What?" she replied.

"Can I come in?"

"Fine," she said.

It wasn't exactly a warm welcome, but she hadn't told me to fuck off, and that was a win.

I opened the door and spotted Sloane sitting in a chair by the window overlooking the backyard. Her tear-stained face was nearly my undoing. My heart clenched at the sight. Her pain cut me to the core.

I stepped into her room and approached her like she was a hungry lion. "First, I'd like to apologize. I know we should've told you what was going on. We should've considered your feelings. I know that's why you're angry. You feel like you got cut out of a pretty big decision."

Sloane's shoulders slumped forward. "It's not that."

"Well, good, but it's still true," I said, shaking my head. "We made a mistake by not telling you. You're old enough to understand."

She glanced at me and gave a curt nod. Her silence didn't sit well with me, though.

"Talk to me, Sloane," I urged, sitting in the other chair now that it seemed she wouldn't bite my head off. "You're safe with me. You can tell me anything."

She sniffled and looked up at him with watery eyes. "I can't lose you, Dad," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion.

"You won't," I promised. "I'm here now, and I'm not going anywhere. If I had known about you, I would have been here fourteen years ago. Nothing could make me leave you."

"But if things go bad, you'll go." She wiped her cheeks with the back of her hands. "When people break up, that's what happens."

"How I feel about your mother has nothing to do with you and me. You are my daughter, from now until the day I die. You're stuck with me, kid."

"It's easy to say now," she said, looking down at her hands in her lap.

"Believe me, I've made some terrible decisions in my life," I confessed. "Leaving your mom and not being there for you top the list. I'll never make that mistake again. Maybe I can't make you believe I'll stay, but I can spend every day for the rest of my life proving how much I love you, Sloane."

"Promise?" she asked.

"I promise, Sloane," I said sincerely, holding her gaze. "And for the record, things between your mother and me are going well. We let someone push us apart when we were kids, but I'll never let that happen again. I'm not too worried about us breaking up again."

"She can be a little grumpy sometimes and a little bossy, but she's a pretty good lady." Sloane let a mischievous little smile break through. "She's never cooked this much for us before. I think she's trying to show off for you."

I grinned. "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach. But it's not like she has to keep trying to impress me. I'm already head over heels for her. Doesn't it say something that I still love her after fifteen years of not seeing her?"

"But is it old love?" she asked.

I frowned, taken aback by the question. "Sloane, I know I'm not as spry as I used to be, but I'm not actually that old. Neither is your mother. And older people can fall in love too. Old love is perfectly natural."

She snorted a laugh and shook her head. "No, I'm not asking if old people can fall in love. I'm asking if you're together just because you were in love back in the day."

"Oh, now I get it. No, the old feelings for her just gave me a starting-off point to reconnect." I smiled and shook my head. "What we have now is different. Better. It's real."

"That's sweet," she said, nodding.

"And it's true," I said.

She rolled her eyes. "We'll see. I've seen lots of people break up. Beth's mom and dad got divorced after being married for twenty years."

"It happens, but I think you have to be truly committed to making it work, and I am committed to making this work with her."

"Fine," she muttered.

"Sloane, you need to be nice to your mom," I said quietly. "She's hurting too, you know. She loves you like crazy and this is killing her, not being able to talk to you."

Sloane nodded, her expression filled with guilt. "I know, Dad," she whispered. "I'll try."

I gave her a smile, my heart swelling with pride at her willingness to try. "Thank you."

"Can we do something together?" she asked softly. "Me and mom got to go shopping today. I think we should do something, just me and you."

"Yeah, that sounds great," I replied. "Whatever you want." I got up from the chair. "Now I'm about to throw those steaks on the grill. Your mother is making a salad and some baked potatoes to go with them."

"You're using your new grill?"

I grinned. "I sure am and you are going to see I'm a grill master."

"Did you have a grill at your old place?"

"No, that's why I'm so excited, I think." I laughed. "Come down in fifteen minutes. Trust me, you do not want to be late for this dinner."

She nodded. "I won't be late. Now I'm going to Facetime Todd real fast."

"Tell him I said hello."

"I will."

I left her room, feeling like I had just slayed a dragon. My first real conversation with Sloane about anything serious had gone better than expected—a little tense and awkward at times but it was a start. It was progress.

As I entered the kitchen, Isadora looked up from where she was chopping tomatoes. "Well?"

I smiled at her. "It went okay. I think I'm getting a hang of this parenting thing."

"Just okay?"

"Better than okay," I amended, moving to stand next to her and taking over the chopping duties. "We talked about you, about us. She's worried."

Isadora's eyes softened. "Is she ever going to be okay with this?"

"Yes," I said, kissing the side of her head. "We'll talk later. I'm going to start the steaks. The grill's already going, so they'll be quick. Sloane will be down in fifteen minutes. She was going to Facetime Todd."

Isadora nodded with a smile on her face. I walked out to the patio to get the meat on. After all the hype, I knew I had to deliver. I lifted the lid and was hit with a satisfying wall of heat. The grill was ready.

"Oh yeah." I tossed the steaks on and was rewarded with the delicious smell of cooking meat. I nodded. They sizzled just right. I closed the lid and took a long look around the backyard. My backyard.

It was a beautiful evening outside, with a soft breeze that rustled the leaves in the trees. The water in the pool rippled, painting shifting patterns on the bottom. The new patio furniture really tied it all together.

After a few more minutes, Sloane came out to join me, her phone in hand and smiling as she talked with Todd. She looked at me and rolled her eyes dramatically for effect, but I could see the real smile.

"He's making steaks," Sloane said.

"Oh no, no, no," I corrected. "I'm grilling steaks. Big difference."

She laughed and walked out into the yard, giving Todd a tour of the place via the video call. Isadora walked out to join me. "She seems a lot happier," she commented.

"Good," I said.

"The potatoes are done. Do you want to eat out here?"

"Sounds perfect."

She clapped her hands. "Great! I picked up the cutest dishes for outside."

She disappeared back into the house, leaving me to finish up the steaks. My mind wandered back to the conversation with Sloane. I hoped that this would herald a turning point in our relationship, that things would get easier from here on out.

Sloane returned from her explorations of the yard. She still had Todd on camera, and she grinned widely as she panned the phone over to me and the smoking grill.

"See? Dad's a grill master!" Her tone was teasing but there was no sting to it anymore. That was progress, more than I could have hoped for today.

I grinned and waved at Todd. Isadora returned with dishes and quickly set the table. I pulled the steaks off the grill and we all sat down to eat.

"Sloane, what are your plans for tomorrow?" Isadora asked.

Sloane looked up from her plate, a small smile on her lips. "I'm going to spend the day with Dad," she replied, ecstatic. "Just the two of us."

I was grateful for the opportunity to spend quality time with my daughter. "That's right," I confirmed, offering Sloane a smile. "I let Sloane pick everything we'll do."

Isadora's eyes sparkled with amusement as she turned to Sloane. "Any ideas yet?"

Sloane shrugged. "Not sure yet," she admitted, grinning. "But I'll think of something."

"Can I request it doesn't involve shoes or Taylor Swift?"

The girls laughed. It felt good to see Sloane opening up, her laughter a welcome sound after days of silence. Sloane talked more than she had in days. She told us about her friends and their plans for summer and school. She was on a roll. I didn't mind. I was glad she was talking again.

After dinner, Sloane disappeared into her room once again, but this time, she didn't slam the door. I felt like crying with relief.

"It's going to be okay," I said. "She's already coming around. She just needs time to process everything."

Isadora nodded, but I could see she was still worried. "What did you say to get her to change her mind?"

"I told her that this isn't your responsibility. It's on me to make sure I stay in her life. You can't push me away. I'm not going away. I want this. I told her that for the two of us to still be in love after fifteen years of being apart, that was impressive. That was real love. I told her we would keep working through stuff, but I'm in this for the rest of my life. She's never not going to be my daughter."

"Thank you, Graham," she murmured, her voice wavering slightly. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

I wrapped my arms around her, holding her close for a moment before reluctantly pulling away. We couldn't afford to let Sloane catch us in another embrace, not when she was already struggling to come to terms with our relationship.

"You don't have to thank me," I said. "It's the job. I had the last fourteen years off-duty. It's time I step up and do my part."

"You're really good with her," she said. "You're a good father. You were born to be a dad."

"I hope so." I laughed. "I like the job so far, but that attitude? Wow."

She giggled. "There's this girl in Sloane's class. I talk to her mother on occasion. You want to see an attitude? I would have probably duct taped the kid's mouth. I'm so glad Sloane isn't like that."

"I'll talk to Sloane tomorrow when we go out to make sure everything is good, but I think we're through the worst of it." I smiled and shrugged. "What can I say? I'm a natural."

"Let's hope so," she replied.

We retired to the living room to continue watching Hell's Kitchen, a show Isadora had turned me onto. I chuckled every time someone got called a donkey.

"No loud music," I commented.

"What?" Isadora asked.

"The house isn't vibrating with Sloane's music," I said. "That has to be a good sign, right?"

"Definitely." She laughed. "I was certain I was going to lose my hearing."

"The next time she's mad at us, I'm going to accidentally break her speakers," I joked. "She's too young to go buy any more."

"What do you think she's going to want to do tomorrow?" her mother asked.

"I have no idea," I said. "Does she like museums?"

Isadora grimaced. "Not since she was about six."

"Touristy stuff?"

"Possibly?" She shrugged.

"I guess I'll just have to wait and see."

She grinned. "I'll pray for you."

"Thanks."