He got to meet the boyfriend first, and that meant something to him, like it was a competition.

Axl had a lot of experience with that and he didn’t like any of it.

“She doesn’t have to go make dinner for her mom,” Axl pointed out.

The smile died.

“And she asked me to spend the day with her, I promised I would, so here I am,” he went on. “But thanks for letting me crash your party.”

He said that last, but after what he’d said before it, it was clear that it was Don who was crashing the party.

“She takes care of her old man,” Don told him.

“Unh-hunh,” Axl replied. “She’s a good woman.”

Don looked a touch ashamed.

Hattie came in, right to Axl, sitting on the arm of the couch next to him, and sharing, “Waiting for the water to boil and the oven to heat up. We should have you sorted in about twenty minutes, Dad.”

“Well, that’ll be good, honey. Though, you get those pigs in the oven and the pasta on to boil, I’ll finish up,” Don said.

Hattie’s back went straight.

“But what about cleanup?” Hattie asked.

“I’ll clean up after myself tonight. You and your man go off and have fun. Okay?”

“But your fee—” she tried.

“I got it, darlin’. Okay?”

“Okay,” she replied and looked down at Axl.

He shook his head slightly, indicating he hadn’t gotten into it.

She then asked him, “You okay?”

He nodded, murmuring, “I’m good, baby.”

Her gaze moved to the television. “How are the Rockies doing?”

“There’s ups, there’s downs,” Don didn’t exactly answer.

They all sat in uncomfortable silence before Hattie got up, saying, “Going to go check the water.”

Axl watched her walk out, threw back more beer, then he made a decision.

This man loved his daughter. It was fucked up how he did, but he did.

And Hattie wanted a healthy relationship with her father.

Axl couldn’t tell the future to know if that was a possibility.

Though it was more.

A good deal more.

Because, since he didn’t know if that was a possibility, he also didn’t know if she should continue to hope, and onward from that, if he should champion it for her, or try to find a way to cushion her by leading her to the understanding it wasn’t going to happen.

And if she continued to hope, Axl wasn’t certain what part he should play in helping her try to find that way.

But in the now, she had hope.

So something had to be said.

He pushed forward to sit on the edge of the couch.

He then rested his elbows to his knees and called Don’s attention from the TV, saying, “Listen, Don, I gotta admit something to you.”