Page 27 of Loyal
We start eating in silence before my daughter speaks up.
“So what do you do for work? Or are you still in college?” Farrah asks.
I want to yell at her, but Loyal answers easily.
“I run a few businesses. College was never in the cards for me. Are you planning to go to college?” he asks her.
“Of course. What respectable person doesn’t go to college? Losers, that’s who,” she scoffs.
“Farrah Grace. You will apologize.”
“No. You are forcing this dinner on me, and now you want me to apologize to him? No. I don’t want to be here anymore. Iwant to go to Dad’s. He isn’t bringing home strays and claiming they are his girlfriend. He loves you, Mom. He wants you back, yet here you are parading a man in front of him that is ten years younger than you. It’s disgusting. I’m disgusted by you.”
“You will watch your tone, young lady,” I hiss at her.
She pushes back. “Or what? You’ll ground me? It’s better than being here right now. I’ll see myself to my room.”
She stalks down the hall, slamming the door behind her. I let out a breath and turn an apologetic look on Loyal.
He looks calm as ever.
“I’m so sorry,” I say for the millionth time it seems like.
“Stop it.” He takes my hand. “She is hurting. She doesn’t know how to process those feelings. It’s a big change, and adolescents are already prone to mood swings. Give her time. We will change her mind.”
“You sound like a self-help book,” I mutter.
“I did some research. Even called a family therapist and made an appointment. They gave me a lot of insight into the minds of teenagers. Especially in this situation.”
My mouth falls open. “You went to a shrink?”
He shrugs. “I wanted to be prepared to put my best foot forward. I want this to work. That means I need it to work with Farrah too. Even if she graduates in a year and moves out, she will be part of your life until we die. I can’t let her hatred of me come between your relationship with her. So I will get her to like me. I will do everything I can to get her to accept this.”
“You are insane. What person does something like that?” I ask, my mind still reeling at his confession.
“One who knows what he wants and is willing to do whatever he can to get it. I might have fallen for you, but you are a package deal. I won’t fuck this up. We will give her time and let her get used to me.”
“What if she doesn’t?” I whisper, scared of what the answer might be.
“That’s a non-issue because I have faith she will come around. I won’t give up until she does. You think a teenager can be persistent? You’ve never seen me when I’ve had a goal.”
I lean into him, pressing a kiss to his lips. “Yeah, I have. That’s how you got me, after all.”
He doesn’t deny it. Instead, he smirks. “Then you already know. This will work. We will make it work.”
“I hope you’re right. My heart hurts after that whole scene,” I admit.
“What can I do to make it better?”
There are a million things that come to mind, but none that are appropriate. So I settle for the tamest thing.
“Share some pineapple bubble cake with me? It’s my grandmother’s recipe.”
He laughs. “Of course. Bring on the cake.”
That’s how we spent the rest of the evening. Sharing cake and laughter while we both desperately tried to ignore the brooding teen down the hall. He promises that he will get through to her, but the fear that he won’t weighs heavily on my mind.
I can’t give him up, but I don’t want to lose my daughter.
