“Did the two of you have a tiff? Do you want to talk about it?” The oddly hesitant way his dad asked brought Mitch out of his reverie and made him blink. These weren’t the kind of conversations he and his dad had. They didn’t talk about feelings or what had happened. That was his mom’s arena. When his dad asked how he was, Mitch knew he wasn’t really asking, but this… this was a clear offering for something more.
“Are you okay?” he asked, some of his sense of humor trickling back in. “Who is this? Did the aliens finally get you? Tell me your D&D alignment, so I know it’s really you.”
His dad snorted.
“Still lawful neutral, lad. I’ve been…” His voice trailed off, and he cleared his throat uncomfortably, his brogue thickening as it always did when he was emotional. “I’ve been seeing a therapist.”
“Okay, well, the first answer was right, but…” If Mitch hadn’t already been sitting down, he probably would have fallen to the floor in shock. He couldn’t count the number of times his mom had begged his dad to go to couples’ therapy, but his dad always scoffed at the idea. “Are you going with Mom?”
“By myself, for now. Eventually, I’d like to go with her. If she’ll have me.”
Holy shit. His dad sounded uncertain. His dad never sounded uncertain.
“What brought this on?”
“A gentleman and his wife came to Outlands this past fall to reconnect. Got me thinking…” There was a wistfulness to his dad’s voice, shocking Mitch even further. His dad was never this open with his emotions. “I never stopped loving your mom, lad. I just wasn’t very good at showing her that. While there was one place, we could communicate—”
“Don’t wanna hear about that,” Mitch murmured, making his dad chuckle. Another shocker. Man, his father really was loosening up in his old age or maybe thanks to the therapist.
“I didn’t try outside of that. I thought as long as we had it, that was all that mattered. I didn’t take the time to listen to what she was saying or wanted from me. I didn’t give her the little things she asked for. I didn’t think it should be necessary. We loved each other, and that shoulda been enough, right?” His short, sharp bark of laughter held no humor. “But tis not. I should have chased after her every time we argued. Talked through it. Got to the root of why she was angry instead of focusing on the single incident that set her off and got me going my merry way. Apologized where I was wrong and made it up to her.”
“You apologized a lot.” That was something Mitch definitely remembered. He always knew when his dad had fucked up.
“Nah, I made excuses. I didn’t actually apologize. I sure as hell didna change.” His brogue had thickened with emotion.
“Do you think you can now?” The question was as much about being a protective son, worried his mom might get hurt again as it was for himself.
“I can try. I want to. So, I hope this old dog can learn some new tricks and impress your ma.” There was another small moment of silence. “What about you and this lass, son? I could tell she means something to you, or you wouldn’t have been so upset.”
To Mitch’s surprise, he found himself telling his dad everything. Unlike with Olivia, where it was more a purge of negativity or his friends when he’d been torn between anger and frustration, now he was just sad. He’d liked having Domi in his life. Hell, he’d been falling in love with her.
Did he love her?
Hell, he didn’t know. If he didn’t, it was something close.
When he got to the end of it, telling his dad what had happened last night in the hallway to the bathroom, his dad was quiet for a moment. Mitch hadn’t spared him. He hoped he hadn’t hurt his dad’s feelings, but it had also been a chance to let his dad know how Mitch had felt seeing his parents’ back and forth over the years while the man was actually listening.
“Your Olivia is right. Terrifying woman, by the way. I met her last night. Your ma would like her. If you don’t want to be me, don’t be. I never chased after your ma the way I should have. I was too high in my pride, too afraid she’d reject me. I always waited for a sign from her. Then once I had her again, I took her for granted, thinking she’d always come back… Now, it might be too late, but for the first time, I’m going to try.”
The determination in his voice was encouraging, and for the first time, Mitch found himself hoping his dad could actually do it and make his mom happy.
“Don’t make the same mistakes I did. Go after your lass. Apologize. Listen. Show her what she means to you. And don’t try to keep all the communication confined to the scene. That’s no way to run a relationship.”
Hell, his dad was right. Last night, he’d done exactly what his dad had always done to his mom—run away without talking, made a unilateral decision about their relationship for both of them. Not because it was what he wanted, but from a place of fear and pride.
“Thanks, Dad,” he said, meaning it.
“Any time, laddie.” The warmth in his dad’s voice seeped into his chest, giving him a bit more courage. “I’m proud of you, Son. Even if she turns you away, at least you’ll know you tried.”
Yeah, but he really hoped she didn’t turn him away.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Domi
The entire house smelled like her childhood, even though dinner had been over hours ago, and Ana was long in bed. It smelled delicious but unusual enough to be a reminder of why it smelled that way. She wished she could pretend it was just one of those days when she
