“I figure I’ll build them all at once. That way they’re done, and you won’t ask to cut in on pussy time again.”
The doorbell sounded as she pressed a kiss to my lips and said, “You speak my language, Mr. McVeigh.” She turned towards the front of the house. “Will you let them in while I stir the sauce on the stove?”
“You’re fucking kidding me, red. My dick is hard for you right now. I don’t need to give your father a reason to bust my balls today.” If Colin Lee had been any man other than Monroe’s father, I wouldn’t have given two shits what he thought of me. But he was, so I did.
She pushed me away. “Okay, go take care of that. I’ll hold the fort until you get back.”
I grabbed the meat out of the fridge and headed outside to the barbeque. Ten minutes passed, in which time I got myself under control and the meat cooking.
Charlie brought out a plate of chopped onions. As she passed it to me, I took in the expression on her face. It was the one she wore when she had to bring up a conversation she really didn’t want to have.
“Spit it out,” I said.
“Ugh.”
I would never understand teen talk. “Ugh, what?”
She shifted nervously on her feet before finally saying, “Okay, so you know this fishing trip we have planned?”
“Yeah.”
“I don’t think I can go.”
“Don’t think or can’t?”
She pulled a pained expression. “Don’t think, but technically can’t.”
“So you’re telling me you could go, but you’re choosing not to? What’s the reason?”
“Well there’s this guy at school who I really like. I mean, really. And he asked me out on a date, but it’s for the Saturday night we would have been away. We could do fishing another weekend.”
“That little shit from Melbourne is out of the picture finally?”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes.”
“Thank fuck for that.” It had amazed me that relationship had lasted as long as it did once she’d moved to Sydney.
“So are you cool with changing the weekend for the trip?”
“Yeah, but I’m gonna need something out of it.” I’d learnt her negotiating trick and had started using it.
She rolled her eyes again. I fucking hated this eye rolling shit, but Monroe kept telling me it was a phase that all girls went through and that she’d grow out of it. Couldn’t fucking happen fast enough as far as I was concerned.
“What do you want?”
“This new kid is gonna have to come for dinner here before your date so that Monroe and I can meet him. I wanna know all the details of where he’s taking you for the date. And I want you home by ten on the night of the date. Plus a guarantee that you’ll answer your phone should I call you.”
“Oh God, you’re killing me here. Okay, how about he just comes for like ten minutes before the date so you can meet him? I’ll tell you the main place we’re going. I mean, I won’t know everywhere because there has to be some spontaneity. Home by ten thirty. And no phone call.” This was our new style of negotiating—I asked for the world and she tried to bargain me down.
I met her gaze. “Sorry, baby, but on this, there’s no negotiating. Those are my terms. Take them or leave them.” This was her first real life date since she’d moved in with me. If I could go on it with her, I fucking would.
Her eyes widened. “I thought we had this negotiating thing down pat? Why you gotta go break it?”
“Take it or leave it.”
She scowled at me for a moment. “Ugh. You used to be kinda cool when I first came, but now you are turning into such a dad.”
I watched her as she stormed off. This wasn’t anything unusual for us these days. She’d cool down quickly and be back to try to renegotiate terms. On this one, though, she had Buckley’s. We’d be meeting that kid before I allowed him any alone time with my daughter.
She passed Monroe’s father on her way inside. My chest tightened when I heard her say, “Maybe you could talk to Dad for me. He’s being difficult about me dating.”
Dad.
It was the first time she’d called me that. I’d do anything to hear it again.
“Good luck with the dating thing,” Colin said, joining me at the barbeque.
I eyed him. “Yeah. Charlie’s not gonna like how it all goes down.”
“She’ll thank you one day. Parenthood is a long game. Some strategies you try don’t pay off for decades.”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
We turned silent for a little while. The only thing Colin and I had in common was Monroe, so conversation with him was difficult.
“Looks like you need a new barbeque,” he finally said.
I checked my irritation at that statement. “Had this one for seven years, Col. She doesn’t need replacing yet.”
“Doesn’t hurt to upgrade every now and then.”
“I don’t upgrade old faithfuls.”
He pointed at the wooden trolley. “That wood’s seen better days.”
“Nothing I can’t fix.”
He was quiet for a moment. “You always this argumentative, Aiden?” I’d given him my name in the first round of twenty-questions after I’d moved Monroe in. He’d refused to call me by anything else since then.
“Only when people don’t listen to what I’m saying.”
“Mmm.”
We stood in silence while I finished cooking the meat. I threw the mushrooms and onions on the barbie that Monroe had chopped.
“So you’ve been going to AA?” he said.
I inhaled a long breath. This wasn’t a secret, but I didn’t love discussing the fact I struggled with alcohol. “Yeah.”
Silence again for a long few minutes.
And then—“How long until you decide to marry my daughter?”
I turned to face him. Hadn’t seen that question coming. “I’ve already decided, Col.” I was just waiting for my divorce from Tenille to go through.
“I figured as much. But I need to know when it’ll happen so I can start getting the cash ready to pay for it.”
Hadn’t seen that coming either. “There’s no need. I’ll pay for it.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “You and I are going to have a problem if you argue with me over that.”
“What? Different to the problem we have over me being with your daughter?”
“I have no problem with that anymore. You’ve proven yourself.”
“Jesus, you have a fucking funny way of showing it, then.”
Before he could respond to that, Monroe and Charlie interrupted us. I narrowed my eyes at Charlie. She appeared happier than when she’d stomped away from me. I wouldn’t have put it past her to try to con Monroe into agreeing to this date. The two of them often played sides against me. What neither of my girls understood was that there were some things I was happy to let them have, but others were a hard no. This was a fucking hell no.
“You finished with the meat?” Monroe asked.
“Yeah. Just about done with the mushrooms and onions, too.”
Col passed her the tray of cooked meat and then said to Charlie, “I’ve got something for you, Charlie.”