He avoided my gaze, yet I noticed his hand squeeze the handle of the ladle.
“This alters absolutely nothing,” I declared, cleaning my palms at the sink. “You remain my father. Biology does not matter.”
“Right,” he agreed, letting out a heavy breath. The syllable felt incredibly delicate.
I walked over the tile floor and rested against the workspace next to him.
“Dad, I am entirely serious,” I insisted. “Genetics do not rewrite the person who rocked me awake at 3 AM, the man who trained me on a bicycle… or the guy who waited in the hospital when I split my jaw wide on the pavement.”
He mixed the soup once more, his vision growing teary.
“It simply seems similar to misplacing a piece of you, my boy,” he admitted. “Although I am aware I haven’t. Still… Gav, if you desire to build a relationship with her… I will never block your path.”
“I literally have zero interest in that lady,” I replied, stretching out to rest my palm against his arm. “I never lost a single thing. On the contrary… I merely discovered just how vastly much you provided for me.”
“We are good? Gav, truthfully?” he squeezed his eyes tightly, subsequently bobbing his head.
“We have constantly been solid,” I grinned. “We are an unbreakable team, Dad. It is forever going to remain us two.”
We took our seats side by side at the dining counter, consuming our food without a word.
As it happened, Miranda was far from finished.
