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The words make her flinch, but then a slow smile touches her lips. “I’m not going to lie, it’s weird.”
“Do you think this is easy for me?” I respond with a chuckle.
“Maybe it’s because you’ve known her for so long that it made it easy for you to fall in love,” she says. “You’ve seen her at her best and at her worst.”
“I have. And maybe there’s something to that. Maybe you’re right.”
“I’m sorry, I never thought about things from your perspective. I’ve been selfish,” she says. “I’ve never thought about everything you sacrificed for me?—”
“And I would do it again,” I tell her. “Happily. You’re my world, Kelsey.”
She slips off her bed and walks over, slipping her arms around me. I lean into her as she squeezes me tightly.
“I’m sorry, Dad,” she whispers, her voice quavering. “I want you to be happy. I want you to be in love. And if it’s with Morgan, honestly, I can’t think of a better woman.”
“Thank you, honey,” I say. “That means more to me than you know.”
She stands up and offers me a shaky smile. “It’s going to take some getting used to, but I’m happy for you guys. I know you’ll treat her the way she deserves.”
“I will,” I promise.
“Good,” she replies. “Now, if you’ll get out, I need to clean myself up.”
“Where are you going?”
She offers me a crooked smile. “To do a little more growing up.”
12
MORGAN
“Are we okay?” I ask.
“Yeah. We’re good,” Kelsey replies.
“Do you promise?”
“I swear it,” she says. “And I’m sorry for the way I reacted. I was being a bitch.”
“You have nothing to be sorry about. I can’t even imagine what that must have been like to walk in on,” I tell her.
Her lips twist wryly. “I’m not going to lie, it was shocking.”
“I’m sorry for that.”
“You don’t have anything to be sorry for either. My dad and I talked it out, and I can see how much he cares about you and how happy you make him. Just saying your name lights him up in a way I’ve never seen before.”
“I feel the same way about him.”
“I want that kind of happiness for him,” she tells me. “And I want that for you, too.”
Tears well in my eyes. For a moment, the emotion is too thick, clogging my throat and rendering me totally speechless.
Kelsey takes my hand and gives it a squeeze. “Just make sure you’re good to him. He deserves somebody good to him.”
“I promise.”
She pulls me into a tight hug and gives me another smile. “Okay, so, are we on for brunch tomorrow? I want to tell you all about England.”