Page 125 of One More Chance
She nodded, then asked, “Do you regret coming back?”
I laughed, the sound full of relief. “Good fucking god, no. Never. I’ve loved every single moment with you all.”
Violet smiled. “You've been a great dad.”
I cupped her cheek, tilting her face to look at me. “You deserved it, Violet. So did Liam. Just like your mother deserved a better partner. You all deserved the world.”
When she looked at me, I saw in her eyes a woman who had lived a thousand lifetimes and witnessed atrocities that would make war criminals weep… but I also saw my brilliant and bright nineteen year old daughter, brimming with laughter and love.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “I can’t say it enough, Daddy.” We pulled away, but stayed seated close to each other.
I wiped my eyes and said, "When I was reborn in this new life, I had a lot of mistakes to fix… but saving you was always my priority. I could not have survived losing you a second time."
Tell her about Charlie, big guy.
"Violet, I understand not wanting to recall your previous life… but if you ever feel the need to talk and you're not comfortable talking with me about it, you can also talk to Charlie."
Her eyes widened. “What?" Realization hit her then, "Uncle Charlie? He's… like us?"
"Yeah, reborn like us," I said with a laugh. "But he doesn't think of it that way. He has some very strong opinions about what it all means, or might mean, or doesn't mean, or theoretically could possibly mean. Ask him about Plato if you ever want to see him riled up."
Excitement spread across her face as she asked, "Have you met any others?"
I thought of Angie, then, for the first time in a very long time.
"No… no, we haven't."
She sipped her water and I already knew what her next question was going to be. She asked, "Did you ever tell Mom?"
I shook my head.
She nodded. "I think I can understand why. It's… heavy."
"Beyond heavy. I didn't want to tell her how my life was without her." Shame filled me, that drowning sensation I'd come to know as an old friend.
Understanding filtered between us and eventually we moved onto lighter topics. We did get around to finishing our lunch; we even split a gluten free chocolate torte for dessert. The rest of our day was filled with laughter, reviewing her class schedule, discussing which professors she was excited about, which weekends she'd like to come back home.
I stood at the door to her dorm getting ready to say our farewells. I knew we both looked like hell, with our puffy and bloodshot eyes, but I didn't care.
I wrapped her into a hug, but before I could say goodbye she fervently whispered, "You're my hero, Daddy."
This kid…
Her mother was the only other person in either of my lives who had ever been able to destroy me so utterly with nothing more than their honesty. The intensity and sincerity of her words filled me with a devastating euphoria, and I was humbled to know that this was my daughter.
“Always, Violet.”
As I drove away from the university and pulled onto the main road, I thought back over the day's highs and lows and buffaloes.
Charlie is going to shit a brick when I tell him about Violet. He's already got his hands full with Rowan.
I'd been driving in a daze for awhile, so overwhelmed with everything the day had thrown at me, before I realized I should've called with an update the minute I left the campus.
I told my truck, "Call Home," and listened to the incessant ringing before the click of an answer.
Charlie's voice came over the speaker, "Hey, so how did our girl do?"
"She did great."
