Chapter 10 - The Storm Clears
Tears pricked my eyes, but I blinked them away, giving the swing another push.
Dad.
The word resonated in my chest, filling a void I hadn't even known was there for thirty years.
I looked over at Valerie on the patio.
She was wiping a tear from her cheek, her smile radiant.
Later that night, after Lucy was asleep, I found Valerie in the kitchen.
She was washing the dinner plates, humming softly to herself.
I walked up behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist and resting my chin on her shoulder.
"You did good today," she whispered, leaning back into my embrace.
"She loves you, Carter."
"I love her," I replied, turning her around to face me.
"And I love you, Valerie."
"I never stopped."
"Not for one single day."
Valerie looked up at me, the last lingering shadows of doubt finally vanishing from her eyes.
"I know," she said.
"You proved it."
"You came back for us."
I reached into my pocket.
I didn't have a giant diamond ring purchased by an assistant.
I had a simple, elegant silver band that I had picked out myself, with a small sapphire the color of the ocean.
"I don't want a grand wedding," I said, my voice thick with emotion.
"I don't want politicians or executives or press."
"I just want you."
"I want to be a family."
"Will you marry me, Val?"
Valerie looked at the ring, a surprised gasp escaping her lips.
She looked at my eyes, the same storm-gray eyes that our daughter possessed.
She didn't hesitate.
"Yes," she breathed, throwing her arms around my neck.
"Yes, Carter."
I slid the ring onto her finger.
It fit perfectly.
As I kissed her, I thought about the man I had been in that airport lounge.
A coward in a tailored suit, about to board a flight to a fake life.
I had lost an empire that day.
I had lost a fortune, a legacy, and a father.
But as I stood in my quiet kitchen, holding the woman I loved, listening to the soft breathing of my daughter down the hall, I knew the truth.
I hadn't lost anything at all.
May you like
I had finally won.
The storm had passed, and for the first time in my life, the sky was completely clear.
