Page 282 of Allegiance
She figured it was now or never.
“I wanted to ask you something.”
“Okay, Kiddo. Shoot. What’s on your mind?” he asked, wanting to help her through whatever it was she was dealing with internally.
She did just that.
“Eve is my Mom now. Can I call you Dad? Or don’t you want me to? I know you married her, and I was part of the deal, but I was curious. I can call you Dakota…”
He stopped her.
“What do you want to call me?” he asked.
She was honest.
“I’ve never had a Dad. I was hoping you’d be okay with it.”
He reassured her.
“I’m very okay with it. I know that Mom changed her name, now that we’re married, and I’d love if you’d take my name, too, Violet, but that has to be up to you. I told you that I was marrying both of you. Your mother is a package deal, and I knew that going in. I wanted that package.”
“So it’s just not the baby you want?”
He laughed.
“Honey, you’re going to be the fun one. Babies can’t go to the movies, or bowling. They are portable, but really, the teenagers are the fun ones. You have piano lessons coming, and then you’re going to want to learn how to drive.”
She did.
“I just want to tell you a secret.”
He waited.
“If I was going to have to pick a dad from all the men in the other room, you included, I would have picked you. You make me feel safe.”
He came around the island, and stood her up. Then, he hugged her.
“I meant what I said, Violet. I’m here for you. I’ll be here for you when you decide to go away to college, and I’ll be here for you when you get married. I love you just as much as I love this baby. You’re important.”
“I found the note you wrote my Mom. Thank you for including me in this.”
He lifted her chin.
“You’re mine now too. You and this baby are going to be my whole world. I’m going to do the Dad thing wrong sometimes, Honey, but I’ll keep trying. I’ll have to yell when your room is a mess, or if you talk back…”
She laughed.
“We can leave that part off.”
He laughed.
“Or you can clean your room and not talk back.”
She hugged him.
“I love you,” she said.
Tears filled his eyes. Yeah, he’d been a dick to not want this amazing thing.