Simone: Drea, I know this morning was rough, but I’m here when you’re ready to talk. Love you.
Grayson: Kiddo, I’m sorry we lost our cool this morning. I hope you know how much we love you.
Vaughn: Drea, we both said some things this morning I think we didn’t really mean. Me more than anyone. I hope you will accept my apology. If you’re serious about the buy out, we can proceed, but your uncles and I really hope that you’re not. We, I, want you here. Love you.
Dalton: Heard what happened darlin. Heartbreak boozin is on me. Let me know the time and place.
Miller: Baby girl, I’m so so sorry. Please call me.
The latest one was from Leona. She’d been surprised when she wasn’t the first one to reach out and that her best friend hadn’t already found her on the beach. But maybe the gossip mill hadn’t moved quite as fast as she had assumed.
Leona: Ok, so since I’m apparently not gonna hear from you, this must be worse than I thought. I’m sorry girl, but seriously, fuck him. If he’s not willing to fight for you, he’s not worth your tears. You know where to find me.
Leona: PS> All three of your uncles are moping around here like someone died. So, there’s that…
It did make Drea feel a little better that all three of them felt like crap as well. She hadn’t meant to unload quite as much as she did this morning, but once she started she just couldn’t hold back anymore. She’d wanted to tell them to treat her like an adult for so long, but never was able to find a time to do it. Better late than never, she thought.
The jangle of his keys gave him away long before she could actually hear his footsteps approaching in the sand. By the time Miller sat down to her left, she’d blinked back the newest batch of tears and dried her face as much as she could. They both just sat there quietly for a long moment, before he finally broke the silence.
“The day you were born, as we were standing there holding you in the hospital, your Aunt Marta said to me, ‘we should have one.’ At first, I thought she was kidding,” he said, laughing. “You were the most perfect thing I had ever seen, Drea. The idea of Marta and I having one scared the shit out of me. I was sure that I would be a horrible, horrible father.”
“Why?” she asked, still looking out over the water.
“Because I had no idea what to do with a baby. But Marta was persistent and I couldn’t say no to that woman. Two days before the accident, she told me she thought she was pregnant, so I said that weekend we’d head into town to grab a test. Not a day has gone by that I don’t wish we had dropped everything to go get one right then. I know it wouldn’t have changed what happened with the stove that day, but at least I wouldn’t have spent the last twenty-five years wondering.”
“Uncle Miller, I had no idea.”
“No one does, baby girl. Not my brothers, not your grandparents when they were still alive. You are the first person I’ve ever told,” he paused, sniffing a bit. “But after everything happened, I knew that I had to figure out how to be a dad, to be your dad. I really had no idea what I was doing, but what I didn’t realize was that no one knew how to be a parent automatically. It’s a figure it out as you go kind of thing.”
“You did a great job, Uncle Miller.”
“Thank you, baby girl. Sometimes I look at you and am just in awe that I was the one to raise you to be this amazing young woman. You’re smart, caring, have a great head on your shoulders, and have an incredible sense of adventure. Just like your mother.” Drea laughed. “But other days, I think about all the mistakes I made and I think it’s a wonder that you turned out this good despite all the fuck-ups I had on my part. Like not telling you about your part in the resort.”
“I still don’t understand why you didn’t tell me,” she said, finally looking over at her uncle.
“I had it in my head that if you knew, you would leave. The resort was our dream, and you just happened to be sucked into that by circumstance. I didn’t do a good enough job in knowing you to know that you felt like this place was your life too. So I thought that if I didn’t tell you that you’d just stay, because, well, obligation I guess.”
“Why would I want to leave?”
“It‘s that sense of adventure of yours, baby girl. I always knew there were big dreams in that head of yours. Dreams that I assumed meant you wanted more than our little resort,” he answered with a small shrug.
“Why didn’t you just ask?”
“Because it seemed like asking would have been a way to push you further into what I assumed was already a desire to run away,” he shrugged again. “I can’t really explain it, Drea, and I know it doesn’t make sense. But not much about how a parent loves their child ever does. And I know I’m not actually your dad, just the guy who raised you, and I don’t ever want to take anything away from Dave. But you will always be my child, baby girl.”
“You’re not just the guy who raised me. You are so much more than that. I hate that you felt that you couldn’t tell me. But at the same time, being lied to like that really, really hurts,” she admitted, holding back more tears.
“I know, and that’s on me. I’m so, so sorry, baby girl. It was so incredibly selfish. But you were all I had, Drea. After the accident, I felt like the only thing I had left in life was you. You became my reason for living. I know it sounds cliché, but you have been my everything ever since Vaughn walked out of his office holding you, still sound asleep, as the rest of the world shifted beneath my
feet.”
“Uncle Miller,” Drea said, exhaling, reaching out for his hand. He took hers in his and squeezed.
“It’s a stupid excuse, I know. But as misguided as it was, it was because I love you. Can you forgive an old man?”
He reached an arm around her and gave her a hug. She let him hold her like that for a long moment before pulling away, fighting off tears yet again. She loved him so much, and knew that he really only ever did what he thought was best for her. It was impossible to stay mad at him for too long.
“I won’t lie,” she said, pulling away slightly. “It still hurts that you didn’t trust me with that information and I’m still pissed. But...but I get it. I get that you just didn’t want to lose me like you lost Aunt Marta and my parents. So, I guess you are forgiven.”
