Lila had given that to them. She’d been a fountain of strength, unwavering in her belief. He’d walked in and seen her, and his first instinct had been to drop to his knees and beg her forgiveness. He hadn’t been shocked by the fact that Lila had shown up for Noelle’s session. She’d ignored his calls and texts for days, but she hadn’t given up on his daughter.

“Sweetie, I’m so proud of you.”

Noelle’s face was flushed with emotion as she pushed up to a sitting position. “I’m sorry I wouldn’t try. I didn’t want to fail.”

“The only way to fail is by not trying.” He understood that. He always had, but the lesson he’d learned when he was a child had gotten lost in his pain and worry for her. “Was that the only reason? Sweetie, you need to talk to me. We’ve both been holding back. You haven’t wanted to learn any of the things Lila’s been trying to teach you. Why are you afraid of being more independent?”

“I know how hard it was for you to change your whole life after Mom died and I got stuck in that chair. But it also brought us closer together. I didn’t want things to change. This is going to be hard, and you hated to watch me struggle. It upset you so much. I didn’t want to hurt you more.”

Oh, they’d needed to have this talk for such a very long time. “It was not hard. I hate what happened to you and your mother, but getting to spend every day with you was the best thing that ever happened to me. Being your dad has been the joy of my life, Noelle. But I’ve done you a disservice because I was happy. I wanted things to stay the same so I didn’t have to worry about you again. If you were home, you were safe. Life isn’t about safety, baby girl. Life is about taking risks and pushing yourself to be the best Noelle you can be. I forgot that.”

“I love you, Dad. I’m sorry I was so stubborn.”

She hadn’t been the only one. “I’m sorry, too. Know that I’m going to push you from now on. I was afraid, too. I put you in that car.”

She shook her head. “You wanted to see me. I wanted to see you, too. It had been too long. I could have waited until morning, but I didn’t want to waste the time we did have together. I fought with Mom that night.”