Page 60 of British Daddy to Go

“I know that, boy, and I’d guess she does too. Think about it from her point of view, though. She was the one who was about to walk back home when she wasn’t supposed to be out all night. That couldn’t be easy on her.”

Of course it wasn’t easy on her, but I’d tried to make it better. I’d offered to drive her to her apartment so that she wouldn’t be any later. Maybe I could have laid off on begging her to stay in bed a bit longer, but no one could blame me for that. After the amazing, passionate night we’d shared, I’d never wanted to leave the bed again.

“I know she was freaked out, but she didn’t have to compare me to some pimp.”

Dad finishes his beer but doesn’t ask for another. He has probably come to the same conclusion as I have: if we get too drunk, Mum will never forgive us, even if it was her idea. “Have you at least called to see how it went with her parents?”

“No,” I admit quietly. “I was angry, and then I picked you up at the airport, and Mum had this crazy plan…”

My father forces me to meet his eyes. “Son, you are a grown man, but you’re going to listen to your father. When you meet a woman you might love, nothing else matters. Your mother and I can figure our way around a city. We’ve been surviving in London since long before we had you! But your relationship might not survive if you don’t put a little effort into it.”

He’s right, of course. I pull my phone out and dial Maggie’s number. It rings a few times but then goes right to voicemail.

Okay. That’s fine. She’s probably just a little angry and won’t answer me.

I dial the number again. This time, when the voicemail beeps, I leave a message. “Maggie, I’m sorry about this morning. We need to talk. I don’t want to lose you. Please, call me as soon as you get this so that I know you’re okay. How did your parents react when you got home? I… I really want to talk to you. Please call me.”

The message is rambling and embarrassing, but I let it go through. Now, I just have to wait.

I keep checking my phone as Dad and I walk around Manhattan, and a few times during dinner, but Maggie never calls.

She’s just angry, I assure myself.She’ll call.

However, with every passing hour, I’m not so sure I believe that.

I may have lost Maggie for good, and I don’t know how to survive without her. It’s only been two weeks, but she’s become everything to me. I can’t lose her. I just can’t.