I keep flipping the pages, taking out and returning the Hallmark cards. Fifteen in all. Each one has a short, sweet message. I close the album and look at him. Tears have wet my cheeks but I leave them there. All these years he’s been thinking of me, writing to me, waiting to see me. It’s true what he said. He did try.

‘I had no idea …’ I say.

‘Eli had her reasons, I’m sure. I just wanted to show you that you were always on my mind, always with me.’

‘And you’ve always been on my mind,’ I say.

Father–daughter. I wipe away my tears.

He puts his hand on my shoulder. ‘Can we move forward from this?’

But my feelings are chaos again and my face is burning. ‘The deer, now …’ But the words can’t get out. ‘The baby …’ Tears are flooding my eyes. I’m determined to finish saying, he has no mother, but I can’t.

‘I’m so sorry,’ Adam says. ‘We’ll work it out.’

‘How?’ I ask between sobs.

‘We just will. I promise.’

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

We drive back from the festival, and the trip goes well considering how mad I had been. A good night’s rest helped everyone calm down, I guess. I haven’t accepted the hunting, but I’m trying to let it go for now.

In the car, Jaxon and I ask Adam about the music he liked as a teen. His taste was typical teenage boy—hard rock with lots of drums. As soon as he mentions one of his favourite songs from the nineties, Jaxon finds it on YouTube and connects to the speakers, and my father goes bananas. It’s hilarious. He remembers every word to one Metallica song, starts playing air guitar like a crazy man, and I have to grab the steering wheel. And that’s before the head banging begins.

We get home, shower and change out of the clothes we’ve all been wearing for nearly two days straight. Then Adam puts on the gas fire, and orders a takeaway Chinese feast. I make myself tea and join him and Jaxon, who are now sprawled on the couch, TV on, waiting for the food to arrive.

Adam’s phone pings with a message.

‘Good news, they’re coming!’ my father says.

‘Who?’

‘My parents. Your grandparents,’ he says. ‘They’ve booked a red-eye from Chicago, arriving tomorrow morning.’

‘Seriously?’ I put my tea down.

In my total meltdown, I’d completely forgotten he’d said they might come. Now I feel relieved I hadn’t caught an early plane home.

‘I can’t wait to meet them!’ I say genuinely.

‘So, you need my room back?’ Jaxon asks, reaching for the remote. ‘I—I guess Sky and I can bunk.’

‘Um, no!’ My father laughs as I feel my face flush. ‘Jaxon. You and I can share, and my parents can take mine.’