On A Night Like This (Callaways #1)

some of my strength is due to you."
    He met her gaze, and she thought that for the first time he was actually seeing her, and not the agonizing pain that he associated with being a father.
    "I can hear your mother in my head," he said. "She's telling me not to be a fool. My daughter is giving me a second chance, and I should take it."
    "I may not give you another one. I need to move on with my life. Your expectations have weighed me down for far too long."
    "I would like to get to know you," he said slowly.
    "Okay then," she said.
    Silence followed her words. Neither one of them had any idea how to move forward. "Can we start tomorrow?" she asked a moment later. "Or maybe next week?"
    "Absolutely," he said with relief. "Whenever you want."
    She walked to the door, then paused. She gave him a smug smile. "By the way, Aiden and I drank the wine I brought for your birthday. It was really, really good."

Chapter Twenty-Three

    Sara left her father's room feeling ten pounds lighter. The painfully honest conversation had been extremely cathartic. She had no idea what the future would hold, but the past was done. She was moving on with a clear head and a free spirit, and it felt good.
    When she left the hospital, her spirits improved even more. Aiden was sitting on a bench waiting for her. He got to his feet when he saw her, his gaze dark and unreadable. Had he come to offer support or to finally say goodbye?
    She slowly walked over to join him.
    "How did it go?' he asked.
    "It started out bad, then got worse, and finally ended a little better. I'm kind of shocked of how forthcoming he was. Part of me still wonders if I imagined the entire conversation."
    He gave her a compassionate smile. "Did he tell you what happened?"
    "Yes. He didn't want to, but I demanded answers. You should have seen me in there. I was very impressive."
    "I have no doubt about that."
    "It's a sad story," she said, relating the basic facts of what had happened.
    "That's horrendous," Aiden said. "I almost feel sorry for your father."
    "I admit to feeling a pang of sympathy, too."
    "But he still was an asshole to you. You can't forget that."
    "I haven't, and I told him that. I couldn't believe the words that came out of my mouth. I said everything I'd ever dreamed about saying to him. I couldn't stop myself. The words just kept coming."
    "I'm proud of you, Sara."
    "I'm proud of me, too. I used to be so damn scared of my father. Now I can see him for who he really is, and that's a sad, angry, lonely man."
    "You're not thinking of trying to fix him?" Aiden questioned, doubt in his eyes.
    "I don't think that's possible, but—"
    "I knew there was a but," Aiden said with a nod.
    "I did tell him I would be open to getting to know each other as adults," she admitted, hoping that didn't make her sound like a complete fool. "But any new relationship has to be on my terms, and he'd have to treat me a lot better than he has in the past."
    "What did he say?"
    "He seemed a little stunned, but he was open to the idea. Now that the truth is out, he has nothing left to hide from me. I think the reason he treated me so badly was because he didn't want me to like him. He wanted to push me away. He just couldn't believe I kept coming back."
    "Because you don't give up on people," Aiden said, his gaze turning serious. "I hope you haven't given up on me, Sara."
    Her heart skipped a beat. She was riding such a wave of emotion she didn't want to let herself think that Aiden had come for any other reason than to make sure she was all right after having spoken to her father. But there was something in his gaze that told her there was more behind his actions. She really hoped she wasn't imagining things.
    "I don't want you to go back to New York, Sara," Aiden said, shocking her with the words. "You asked me to give you a reason not to go."
    "I remember. You couldn’t come up with one."
    "I could; I was just afraid to say it, and to be fair, you didn't give me much time."
    "You've had more than enough time, Aiden." And she was not referring to their most recent conversation.
    "I know that," he said, a small smile playing around his lips. "I've been a little slow, but I hope it's not too late. I love you, Sara."
    Her heart stopped. Her breath caught in her chest. She could not have heard him correctly. "Say that again."
    "Really? You didn't hear me the first time?"
    "I want to hear it again."
    He grabbed both of her hands and squeezed them tight. "I love you, Sara."
    "No, you