“I know you will.”

He clears his throat. “You have a ring?”

“Not yet.”

“She know it’s coming?”

I nod. “Yes.”

He lets out a breath. “You take care of my girl, Jacob, so help me, God.”

I smile, and he narrows his eyes.

“Do not look at me like that. I still do not approve but… I want to walk my only daughter down the aisle.”

“She would love that.”

“And I promised you a long time ago to be your best man whenever you got married.”

I had asked both him and my brother to be my best men when I was going to get married before. “And I still want you to be. I still want you and Michelle to be my people.”

A few weeks have gone by since Thanksgiving and while things aren’t perfect, we’re moving in the right direction. It’s the Saturday before Christmas and we are all going to Kevin and Michelle’s like usual for dinner.

I’m cradling my phone between my ear and my shoulder as I’m moving the cartons around trying to find what I’m looking for. “Baby, does it really matter which eggnog ice cream brand I get?”

“Yes, of course it does! It has to be Turkey Hill; you know my dad is so picky about it! You are barely back in his good graces!” I sigh, knowing that Kevin was in fact very picky about how he made his strong as fuck egg nog. I’m standing in the freezer section of the grocery store staring at every other brand but Turkey Hill knowing this means I have to go to another store.

I sigh. “Alright, I have to go to another store.”

“Okay, hurry pleaseeee, I miss your face. I need some time with it before we go to my parents’ house and I have to behave.” She giggles. Much to Whitney’s annoyance, I did actually go back to work a week ago and have been super busy at the hospital while I get re-acclimated which has meant that Whitney and I have really only had late nights and very early mornings together. I move toward the end of the aisle when I spot someone I recognize coming toward me. He’s dressed like he might be going to a Christmas party in black slacks and a black button-down under an overcoat with a bottle of wine tucked under his arm.

“I’ll call you right back, beautiful,” I say into the phone before I press the end button.

He must recognize me as well because his face turns to anger. “I always wondered what I would say if I ever saw you again,” he starts.

I’ve always known what exactly I would say, so I do. “You tried to destroy her family, Parker. My fucking family. You cheated on her and then you refused to trust her…”