Chapter 126 Father? (IV)
Kristen's POV
"You shouldn't do this," he looks unsure of himself.
"I insist," I give him a little smile.
"You don't need to do anything for me when I haven't given you a single dime in life," he tells me after sighing heavily.
And it just breaks my heart that he's living in regret.
"It doesn't work that way."
Hopping out of the car, I slide my shades down from my forehead to my eyes, before handing Janette my handbag. And then I meet
Father. I brought him here so he could have new clothes. He's been wearing his worn-out clothing since his arrival and it doesn't even settle well with me.
The urge to get closer to him is great, since Mom and I's relationship is strained. It didn't work out between us, so maybe, just maybe things we'll bond as father and daughter.
Calhoun let Janette come with me because she's the bodyguard he hired to watch over me and protect me if need be. The six-foot-tall masculine woman has been by my side since I was rescued from Jack the Rogue Psycho.
Inside the Male-wear shop, father is reluctant to pick any clothes for himself because he is still dwelling on guilt.
It kind of feels surreal that my father is here with me. Someone who I never thought I'd meet.
Letting out a low sigh, I raise my shades up to my forehead and start picking the best outfits for him myself. I have Calhoun's credit card with me, so it won't hurt if I try to spend a little on my father.
"Kristen..."
"Don't complain, father. You can't go about wearing those awful clothes." I cut him short when I heard him call my name.
"These are expensive outfits, you're doing too much," he says.
"I am with Alpha Calhoun, I can't have my Dad looking lower than his servants," I respond.
He swallows hard and takes a step backward.
It's a bit upsetting that he feels too guilt-stricken to even act normal around me. He's just holding back a lot and feels unworthy of even my time.
He needs to forgive himself because I hold no hard feelings towards him. He had no idea that he had a child somewhere and that I even existed.
After shopping, I made him wear one of the outfits and we left for the saloon to give him a nice haircut.
One hour later, Father is looking like a different person. The haircut and clothes. He appears even younger than before because he has his beard gone.
I can see why mom approached him that night, twenty-one years ago. He's not bad looking at all.
We stop by an outdoor diner for lunch. Janette chose to give us privacy by staying in the car.
"Mind if I ask how you met Alpha Calhoun, he seems a bit older," Dad brings this up while we're waiting for our food.
And I choke on my strawberry smoothie because I wasn't expecting that.
A cough rolls from my chest and my father is already at my side, with his hand on my back.
"Are you okay, Kristen?" There's fear in his eyes as he looks at me.
My response is another cough.
Quickly, he puts a glass of water in my hand and helps me to drink.
When everything subsides, he goes back to his seat.
"You should try being more careful next time," He cautions me but I can see that it's forced. I wanted him to pat my hair or something, but I guess I'm too old for that. If I was eight or ten, maybe he would have felt less awkward towards me.
"To your question, Calhoun is my mate.." I start, after taking the last gulp of water.
"I see," The look on his face gives out that he's curious and wants to know more.
"And he was married to Mom." I blurt out.
"What?" Dad blinks.
"You heard right..the day he married Mom was the day the moon goddess made us mates," It takes everything in me to make this
known to my father.
Dad's eyes are large in their sockets, and I can tell he's still in the process of digesting my response.
"Christ, he was married to your mother?" Thank God he's letting out his real emotions right now. The shock made him not hold anything back, and it's something I like.
Pushing a strand of hair away from my face, I nod.
"It's a long complicated story, father." It feels weird and satisfying at the same time to have someone I can address this way.
"Do you want to share?" His eyes soften, and I wonder why on Earth he never ran into Mom several years ago. I might not know about his flaws, but I believe he would've had a positive impact on my life.
"Of course, you're the only family I have around," I tell him.
Dad doesn't reply to this. He waits until the waiter puts the food on the table and leaves, before connecting his eyes with mine, wordlessly urging me to carry on.
"Calhoun distanced himself from mom and never touched her, right
from the wedding day." I leave out the part where we met at the club because there's no point anyway. He might think low of me.
"How did your mom handle this? Was she aware?"
"A lot happened and it's best I just leave out the details, but Mom
and Calhoun are currently divorced."
"Did you feel guilty?" He asks me, with his eyes showing no judgment. Just a slight confusion.
"I do feel guilty. Every single day, even up till this very moment. Just that I don't let it get the best of me." I fumble with my hands and
sigh.
Dad, who senses my discomfort, puts his hand on the table and tries to switch the topic by saying, "Maybe we shouldn't talk about it anymore, I'd like to see pictures of you as a child, to an adult."