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“Dad, he’s grown up. He’s not the same kid you remember.”
“Yeah, now he’s an adult. Still an asshole.”
I put my hands on his shoulders and look at him. “He’s a good guy, Daddy. You have to trust my judgment, okay? Besides, I…” I look down at my shoes. “I really care about him. He won’t hurt me.”
“Again, you mean?” My dad cocks an eyebrow.
My shoulders droop. “Things didn’t work out before. And I’m not a hundred percent sure they’ll work out this time, but I want to try. I’m not naïve, Daddy. There’s a lot of stuff I don’t know about him and what he does, but should I hold that against him? He makes me really happy, so should I just forget all of the good things and just focus on the bad stuff that I can’t even confirm, by the way? Isn’t it possible that he can change?”
My father’s face twists into a grimace. “Maybe. But his isn’t the kind of life you can just walk away from. There are rules, Sloane. And you can’t pick and choose which ones you want to follow.”
A shiver runs through me.
The code. It’s written all over his body.
But I can’t read it. I don’t know what it says. I have to trust him for that.
“I know,” I murmur, glancing at the clock on the end table. Max should be here any minute, and I really don’t want him to walk into this conversation. This is supposed to be a perfect night, and bad blood between him and my dad will turn it into a nightmare.
“You know, but yet you’re still moving forward with this whole thing.”
“Dad, I’m a big girl. I can’t hold his choices against him if he’s trying to put the past where it belongs. How would that be fair to him? Or to me?”
“That’s just the thing, Sloane. Guys like Max can never really escape their past. Things always come back to haunt them. And no matter what he tells you, he’ll always show up for the fight.”