Promises to Keep - Ann Tatlock [94]
When I nodded, he put both hands on my shoulders and held my gaze. “Listen, honey, I’m working real hard to make everything right again. I mean it. And someday I’m going to be proud to tell people I’m your father, but I just can’t do it yet. But soon. You’ll see. And Roz, I missed Christmas, and I’m sorry about that, but I was up in Chicago working, and I couldn’t get away. But I have something for you.” He moved one hand off my shoulder and reached into his shirt pocket. I watched expectantly, wondering what it was. “Hold out your hand,” he said.
I did, and he dropped something silver and shiny into it. I laid Huckleberry Finn on a shelf to free up my other hand, then picked up the necklace by the chain and watched the heart-shaped pendant swing like a pendulum. “It’s beautiful, Daddy,” I whispered.
“It means I love you.”
My chest felt tight, and I thought I might cry. “I love you too, Daddy.”
He opened his arms and I fell into them. Then my arms were around his neck, and he was kissing my cheek and caressing my hair and telling me how much he loved me. And then the tears came, because I felt as though I finally had everything I ever wanted. Daddy wasn’t a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He was a good man, and he loved me.
When I pulled back and he saw my tears, he asked gently, “What’s this?” He held my face in his hands and wiped at my cheeks with both thumbs. “Why are you crying, Roz?”
I shrugged. “I’m just happy, Daddy.”
He took a deep breath and smiled. “I’m glad, honey. And pretty soon we’re going to be happy together, and nothing’s going to separate us again. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“Do you want to put the necklace on?”
I nodded. I unlatched the chain and handed it to Daddy. He put it around my neck and fastened it again. “A pretty necklace for a pretty girl.”
I reached for the heart and held it tight in my hand. “Thank you, Daddy. It’s the best Christmas gift ever.”
“You’re welcome, honey. But listen, it’d be best if your mother doesn’t see it, all right?”
“All right.”
“Because then you’d have to explain . . .”
“I know, Daddy. I won’t let her see it.”
He gave a satisfied nod. He looked over my shoulder, then back at me. “Listen, sweetheart, I’ve got to go. The more time I spend with you, the more I’m pushing my luck.” He stood and stretched his legs. I picked up Huckleberry Finn. “You going to read that?” he asked.
“Yeah. I have to do a book report on it.”
“Uh-huh.” He was stalling for time, and I knew it. I had the feeling there was something left unsaid. Finally he asked, “Say, Roz, that guy, Tom Barrows. Your mother still seeing him?”
“Naw. They broke up a little while back.”
“Uh-huh.” His mouth twitched as he tried unsuccessfully to suppress a smile. “She’s not seeing anyone else, is she? What about this Monroe fellow who just moved in?”
“What about him?”
“Tell me again who he is.”
“He’s just Tillie’s son. And Tillie’s our . . . well, she helps Mom around the house with cooking and cleaning and stuff. And she takes care of Valerie.”
“So where does Tillie live?”
I paused a moment. “I don’t know. Over on Sayles Street, I think.”
“So how come her son isn’t living with her?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know, Daddy. He’s a grown-up. Would you want to live with your mother?”
He looked amused and chuckled softly. “You’ve got a point there, Roz. All right, well . . . so your mother isn’t seeing anyone?”
“No, she’s not seeing anyone, and I’m glad about it too.”
“Yeah, that’s good. It would just complicate things.”
I looked down at my necklace and gave it a small pat before tucking it under my blouse. I couldn’t wait to show Mara my gift from Daddy. Smiling, I lifted my head to look up at Daddy, but even as my chin was rising, I remembered something that happened not once but many times: Daddy, crazy jealous, accusing Mom of flirting with someone or other; Mom denying it, her voice trembling, her one arm rising to shield her face.
When my eyes met Daddy’s, though, it wasn’t the Daddy of the memory I saw. I found myself looking into eyes that held compassion and a certain hopefulness. Everything