Page 54 of Dating the DILF
She stops in front of me, her hands on her hips. “I’m not looking for a fucking fairy tale, Miles, or some protector. I want a partner. What we have is real and messy, but it’s incredible.” Her voice breaks and I watch her swallow down a sob. “I’m prepared to risk it all for you and Lulu. Everything I want is different now, because of you two.” She pauses, biting her lip. “But you need to let me fight my own battles and make my own choices. You need to settle for less than perfection, because that is bullshit and it doesn’t exist. And I’m so scared that you’re going to be so busy chasing something unattainable, you’re going to ruin what we already have. I’m here, Miles, and I’m ready to love you through every damn storm, not just the perfect moments.”
For the first time all day, I feel like I can breathe and I take a step toward her, only to be rebuffed when she steps back.
“But right now, I’m pissed, and you need to just let me be pissed.” She snatches up her purse and heads toward the front door. “I’ll call you when I’m ready to talk.”
“What’s up, Dad?” He’s sitting at the dining table, sucking down a beer and watching me load the dishwasher. I can hear Lulu giggling in her playroom down the hall and I let the sound soothe me.
“Have you spoken to her yet?”
“No.” It’s been six days since she walked out on me and I’ve done my best to give her the space she needs but it’s fucking hard.
I close the dishwasher and start it before grabbing a beer from the refrigerator and joining him at the table. “How did you do it, Dad?”
“Do what?”
“You and Mom. You guys had this perfect relationship, you never fought. If we’re already having problems, maybe this isn’t right for either of us.” It kills me to even consider the idea.
“Jesus Christ, Miles, you’re smarter than this.” He points his beer bottle at me. “My relationship with your mother was exactly as it was supposed to be, and that’s far from perfect. We fought all the time.”
“No, you didn’t.” I scoff.
“Of course, we did. We just made a point of not doing it in front of you boys. Do you know how many times she made me sleep on the couch in the den? Why do you think I always had such a bad back?” He laughs.
“You always seemed so happy.”
“We were happy. Nobody made me happier than your mom, but she had an awful temper. We both did.” He shrugs as though he’s not crushing every notion I ever had about relationships.
“That girl of yours is a keeper, but you fucked up, just like a million men before you. If you’re lucky, she’ll give you another chance. If you’re not, then you’ll crawl on your hands and knees and beg for forgiveness until you wear her down, because what you two have doesn’t come along every day, and when it does, you fight for it.”
I nod, letting his words sink in and I hope he’s right. That I haven’t fucked this up beyond repair.
“She’s been FaceTiming with Lulu every day, did you know that?”
“She has?” I had no idea.
“Every day at lunchtime.” He grins at me. “I think you’re going to be fine.”
“Daaaaaadddyyy! C’mere!” I roll my eyes and Dad chuckles at Lulu’s demanding tone.
“Go check on her, I’m going to finish this and then I’ll head home.”
I clap him on the back, an unspoken thank you, and make my way to check on Lulu.
“What’s up, kid?”
“My baby’s head come off.” She holds a decapitated doll up to me.
“It just popped off? All by itself?”
“Yup.”
I choose to believe her because, really, who wants to believe their child is a doll decapitator?
Fifteen minutes later, I walk back into the kitchen expecting to find Dad ready to take off. Instead, I find him still seated at the table, hunched over with sweat beading his brow and his face pale and clammy.
“Dad?” I rush over to him. “Dad, are you okay?”
He’s struggling to breathe and despite the panic that is setting in, I do my best to stay calm for him.
