Chapter 13

Andy woke up on Saturday morning promptly at six o'clock. He had never needed an alarm clock. Rolling out of bed, he threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt then went outside to feed the animals. He played fetch for a little with Bucky, the family's black lab.

When he smelled bacon, he went inside. Joanne was in the kitchen. He walked up behind her and grabbed a handful of her backside. She playfully swatted his hands away and prepared two plates.

He poured a glass of milk for himself and orange juice for his wife. After nineteen years of marriage, they had their morning ballet down to a fine art.

They sat next to each other on the benches that lined the table in the kitchen. This was their time. Ordinarily, on a Saturday morning, the twins and any number of their friends would be sleeping over. Being teenagers, they usually stayed up late and slept in. During the week, he would have left for the shop by now and Joanne would be going to work.

But not on Saturdays.

Later in the morning, the family would all do their usual chores, whether it was cleaning the house, caring for the animals, tending the garden or doing yardwork. Then they'd have dinner together before the girls inevitably went off to do something with their friends.

They had a comfortable routine. And it was coming to an end.

A part of him felt a little bitter. After all, these were his girls. They were his life. Everything he did—good, bad or indifferent—was all for them. They were his pride and joy.

Despite the times when he didn't like them very much or when they made typical boneheaded teenage decisions, he loved them more than anything. They had him wrapped around their pretty little fingers, and he knew it. But he would have it no other way.

Now it seemed that they were moving on. Or at least taking their first steps. He knew this day was coming. He had prepared himself for when they would leave and never come back to live under his roof. He even looked forward to it.

But it just seemed too soon.

When they were at Gabriel's, everything they talked about made sense. He didn't like the idea of the girls driving into town every day at seven in the morning, going to school, working and then coming home, some nights after dark. As any father did, he feared for their safety. He worried about the times when they were out of his sight.

To him, they were always four years old, their hair up in pig tails, running around the yard in their Easter dresses. Or they were the newborns he rocked to sleep at night after being born in this very house. He never thought of them as young women.

But that's what they were now. And he had to accept it. He didn't have to like it, but he had to live with it.

He knew that an hour on the road each way wasn't good. Nor was it cheap. If he could afford to buy them new cars that got better gas mileage and he knew weren't going to break down, he would have. If he could rent an apartment in town, they could live some place safe, but he and Joanne simply didn't have the money.

Gabriel MacKenzie did. Try as he might, Andy couldn't bring himself to dislike Gabe. He was polite and kind. He was smart, handsome and financially secure. He was also only four years younger than Andy. And he was pursuing his daughter.

Still, Bailey could do worse. Like that Mahoney kid who kept calling. Seedy, unkempt and rude, the only other prospect in Bailey's life was definitely not the kind of boy a father wanted for his daughter.

"It's not like they're leaving for good," Joanne interrupted his reverie. She had always been adept at reading his mind.

"I know," he said softly. "I just didn't expect it to be like this..."

"Like what?"

"Them moving in with some guy."

"He's not 'some guy'," Joanne snorted. "Gabriel is the kind of man who comes along once in a blue moon. And you know it."

Andy knew she was right. Part of him was jealous of Gabriel. He seemed to be everything Andy wasn't: rich, good-looking, with a big house and a job that wasn't dirty.

"You don't like that there's another man in Bailey's life," Joanne got straight to the heart of the matter.

"It's not that. I just—"

"Bullshit." Every now and then, people need a verbal smacking around. Andy knew he was due. And he knew whenever it was his wife doing the talking, she was always right. "You don't like that Bailey has someone in her life and you're afraid that she won't need you anymore. It's okay to feel that way. But you know what? No one else will teach her to hunt or take her out for her first four-wheeler ride. And no one else will let her dance on his toes and carry her around on his shoulders. Because that was you. You're always going to be her daddy. And both of the girls are going to love you like no one else."

"I just didn't think I'd have to let go so soon."

Joanne's eyes softened and she smiled wistfully. "That's the point of raising kids, Andy. We did a good job. They're smart and hard-working. They're going to college and with a little bit of luck they'll be able to make a better life for themselves than we could give them."

"Couldn't she wait until she was older before she got serious about a guy? And why Gabriel? Why would he be her first serious boyfriend?"

"How old do you want her to be?"

"Thirty?"

Joanne, pushed their plates back. "Bailey is her Daddy's girl. When all those other boys were calling April, you were the one who took her out for dinner and over to Billy Bob's for miniature golf. Do you remember when April had her first date? You and Bailey spent all night changing the oil and rotating the tires on that old Buick. You've always been the man in her life because ... well, because all the other boys were chasing April."

She took her husband's shaking hands in her own.

"You're not losing her, Andy. Look at me. She's always deserved better than any of the boys around here and you know it. It's okay for you to not like Gabriel. That's what daddies do."

"It's not that I dislike him..."

"I know, honey." She put her arms around him. "Does this ring a bell: Once upon a time, there was a shy girl who lived on Parsons Street. When she was a sophomore in high school, a boy started calling on her. He was a senior and drove a '73 Camaro that was too fast and too pretty for her daddy's liking. His hair was too long and he didn't say 'sir' or 'ma'am' and his grades weren't very good. The first time he came to pick her up, the girl's father was cleaning his .30-06 in the living room. But that didn't stop the boy. He swept the girl off her feet and they fell in love, even though he knew he wasn't good enough for her daddy. Does that sound familiar?"

Andy smile ruefully.

"They're going to be okay," Joanne said, kissing him on the cheek. "Even if Gabriel and Bailey don't work out, they're always going to be our girls. No one who comes by to take them out will ever be good enough for you. But you know what? My Daddy came around. And so will you."

"I know," he wiped his eyes and squeezed his wife. He gave her a loving kiss. "My little girl just had better not come home knocked up. You know I'm a better shot than your father."

They both laughed and held on to one another. Everything was going to be all right.

"Want to go for a ride in the Camaro?" he asked, forcing a smile.

"Not a chance, Big Boy," Joanne retorted. "I'm not limber enough to work around the shifter anymore!"

She let out a surprised yelp when Andy scooped her up in his arms and carried her to their bedroom. A long time ago, it had been his parents's room. It was where the girls were born and before that, on a night when his folks were out to dinner, it was where the twins had been conceived.