Page 87 of Kove and Xiah
“You’re right but he would have to admit he heard what I said and that’s a conversation no father wants to have.” I dropped a kiss to her temple right before the door opened and the man in question came into view.
“Daddy, hi.” She went right into his arms and he smiled, kissed her cheek, then his eyes shifted to me.
“Your mother said you were bringing a guest. I can’t say I expected it to be a Royals player.”
His expression was neutral but he raised a brow at her before his eyes were on me again.
“I asked her not to tell you.” He extended a hand to me and I stepped inside her parents’ home. “Dad, this is Kove.”
I shifted the bag to free up a hand which I extended. “Nice to meet you.”
“Hmmm..” he said and firmly shook my hand.
“Is this a thank you dinner for selling you a house?”
Xiah laughed and I grinned because he knew better. His expression didn’t change. “Nah, it’s not. Xiah and I are dating.”
“Dating?”
“Yes, Dad. Can you come inside so I can explain?”
“You can’t do that now?” He wasn’t letting up at all.
“No, I need to have this conversation with you and Mom and I only want to do it once.”
She tugged my arm and pulled me through the house to the kitchen where we found her mother. I offered up the wine and she grinned, hugging me as a thank you before Xiah asked them both to sit down so she could explain my role in her life. She removed the papers she had showing that her divorce was final then explained my role in things, how it all happened and that we were currently dating.
Her mother was thrilled. Her father was happy about the divorce but wasn’t feeling the part about dating me. After everything was out in the open, with all the “why didn’t you tell us, we could have been here for you”, he cleared his throat and asked to speak with me privately.
Neither Xiah nor her mother intervened but I was cool with that. We walked through the house to the back porch. After he closed the door, he stared at me for a minute, not speaking. He had one arm folded over his chest, the other bent at his elbow with his fist covering his mouth.
“I need to tell you a secret.”
I frowned. “Aight.”
He reached back and gripped his neck and I could tell he was struggling with something. I learned what he was struggling with when he finally spoke.
“I never wanted Xiah to marry her ex.”
I stared, waiting, because what the fuck was I supposed to say to that? I had crossed paths with the simp muthafucker once and wished she’d never married him.
“Everything in my spirit was telling me that things would end badly. I never knew what it was, couldn’t put my finger on it, but I never liked him. He said all the right things, did the song and dance to convince us that he was the one for Xiah, so I really had no reason to distrust that he truly loved my daughter, but I knew. In my gut I knew.”
“You didn’t tell her?”
His expression tensed and he dropped his arms to his sides and shook his head. “No. I checked in with Xiah multiple times ,asking if she was sure he was the one. I needed to know if she was truly happy and the answer was always yes. I love my daughter. She’s my heart and she was so damn happy. I didn’t want to be the reason she wasn’t. I refused to take that happiness from her.”
He was blaming himself for how things turned out because he didn’t tell her how he really felt.
“Even if you told her, it might not have changed things.”
“I know but it also doesn’t stop me from feeling like the disappointment she suffered from that debacle of a marriage was partially my fault. I have to live with my feelings from not telling her that I knew he wasn’t the one. She doesn’t know I’m angry with myself and I’ll never tell her because it’s my fuck up and my feelings. If she knew, she would spend time carrying the weight of my fuck up and she’s already lost enough happiness.”
I nodded.
“I’m sharing all of this because you being here is hard for me. I messed up once. I should have told her what was on my heart. I won’t do that again. I will not experience my baby suffering through another broken heart.Thisis my warning to you. Don’tgive me a reason to make her choose. Because if it comes to that, I will. I would rather her hate me than have to suffer through that shit again.”
Damn sure hadn’t seen this coming but I respected his honesty. He extended a hand and we shook to seal the deal. We were two grown men who had a woman we cared about connecting us.
