Page 64 of Surrender

She gently stroked my face. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

She shared a sweet kiss before I helped her from the seat. She went to wake up her mom and sister. Once they got themselves together, they both greeted me with hugs and thanked me for bringing them food. They promised not to take too long before they all left the room.

I took a seat next to Mr. Lewis and stared at him for a moment.

“I hate that this had to be the way you and I spent our first moment alone together,” I said softly. “I know you aren’t the biggest fan of mine and Kachelle’s marriage, but I want you to know that I love and cherish your daughter. She is my perfect compliment. Her outer beauty is only amplified by the beautiful soul she is within.

“I don’t have to tell you that, though. You and Mrs. Lewis raised a hell of a woman. I willingly surrender all that I am and all that I would be to her. Whatever her heart desires, if I can give it to her, it’s hers. It’s crazy that in such a short time, I can’t picture life without her.

“It pains me that the one thing she wants right now, it’s not in my power to give her. I know you’re in there, Mr. Lewis. I know the mind works in mysterious ways and you can hear every word I’m saying. Come back to them. Make things right with your daughter.

“There are no hard feelings on my end. I just want her to be happy. She’s harboring so much guilt over not speaking to you for weeks, and it will tear her apart if she has to let you go without making amends. I need you to fight. Not just for you, but for her and your family too.”

I grabbed his hand and bowed my head, whispering a sincere prayer over him. I had no hate in my heart toward this man. He was a father, and I completely understood his hesitancy over handing his daughter over to a stranger that he nor she had ever met.

I got that.

While she was his baby, she was also a grown woman with her own life to live. Nobody could make choices for her life but her. I recognized that I couldn’t make him like me. His not liking me would never change the fact that I was a good man, and I would always be a good man. Even if he never accepted or respected me, I would still treat Kachelle like my queen.

“Y-you really l-love her?” I heard a raspy voice ask.

I looked up to see Mr. Lewis looking over at me.

I smiled. “Very much.”

“S-she talks about y-you a lot. She’s b-been telling m-me what a good man y-you are.”

He motioned to the pitcher of water beside his bed. Carefully, I raised the bed into a slight sitting position before pouring him a cup of water and placing it to his lips to help him drink. He drank until he had enough and motioned for me to take it away.

He rested against the bed with a heavy sigh.

“How long have I been down?”

“A week and a half, sir. You had a heart attack and hit your head pretty hard when you fell. You had to have surgery.”

He nodded. “I take it things have been a mess?”

“They’ve been very emotional. Everybody has been waiting for you to wake up, man.”

“I’ve been trying. I just felt so much peace… it was hard to come back from that.”

“I get that. But your work here isn’t done.”

“I know. Like you said… I gotta make things right with my baby girl.”

“She misses you. She’s taken this whole thing very hard.”

A tear slipped down his cheek. “I love her.”

“I know you do.”

“I’m sorry I never gave you a chance.”

I shook my head. “I’m not a father yet, but I understand. Kay and I did something unconventional and without much warning. While it was a blessing for us, it seemed irrational to the people we love. Maybe it was, but your daughter is the best thing to ever happen to me. I’ll spend a lifetime making her happy.”

His lips turned up slightly. “You know I wanted to ring your neck at the wedding.”