One More Time

by Aurora Rose Reynolds

  When we pull up to the bar and see the amount of vehicles in the parking lot, I remember there is a football game on tonight and a lot of people like to get out of the house to watch the game. After Tide parks, I slip off my seatbelt then wait for him to come around to my side to open my door. With the cold evening air making me shiver, we walk into the building, which is quiet except for the sound of my dad shouting belligerently about wanting another drink.

  “Oh no,” I whisper, seeing my dad fall off his stool.

  “Fuck,” Tide clips, taking my hand in his and dragging me across the room. When we reach the front of the bar, Colton’s eyes meet mine, and the look he gives me makes my heart stutter in my chest. Before I have a chance to process what his look means, Tide lets go of my hand to help my dad up off the ground.

  “You can’t just cut me off.” My dad shoves Tide away, shouting, “I could buy this fucking place with the cash in my wallet.” Anger fills the pit of my stomach, and I rush him without thinking, planting my hands against his chest, shoving him back a step, and causing him to stumble. When his eyes meet mine, I can tell he’s surprised to see me. “Aria.” He blinks, and I shake my head as my chest heaves.

  “What are you doing?” I swallow over the pain in my throat, then whisper, “What are you doing, Dad?”

  “I’m sorry.” He looks around before meeting my gaze once more. “I… I didn’t know you were here.”

  “What does it matter if I’m here or not?” I toss my arms out from my body. “Me not being here doesn’t give you the right to act like a jerk.”

  “You…” He looks around before stumbling a step toward me. “You’re right.”

  “How about you let us take you home?” Tide suggests, and until that moment, I didn’t notice he’s right at my side, right where he always seems to be.

  “Sure.” My dad adjusts his suit jacket while Tide takes his arm to help him out of the bar.

  When the three of us get outside, Tide helps me into his truck before doing the same with my dad, who is obviously three steps past intoxicated. Sitting in the front seat, I try to come up with a million excuses for my dad acting like he is, but I know they’re all bullshit. I also know me doing that is something I’ve done since I was a kid. Only now, I don’t need to lie for him or make excuses.

  “How long are you going to do this?” I ask my father as Tide jogs around the front of his truck. “Aren’t you tired of this?”

  “It’s a little more complicated than you think it is,” Dad says, and I look around my headrest at him in the backseat.

  “You being drunk every night is not complicated, and I know you’re too scared to confront Mom about her affairs, which is your real issue. So instead, you try to drown your feelings with alcohol, which is obviously not working,” I snap, and he glares at me.

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he says as Tide gets into the truck and starts the engine.

  “I don’t?” My laugh is sarcastic. “Fine. You tell me when you’re sober how Mom’s constant cheating doesn’t still affect you.”

  “It didn’t bother me until I found out she was sleeping with Josh,” he says, and I feel Tide’s hand land on my thigh.

  “What?” I spin around to face him once more, and his face pales.

  “I… I—”

  “Mom is sleeping with Josh,” I cut him off, my voice rising. “You’re kidding, right?”

  “Honey, I didn’t…”

  “You didn’t what? Didn’t want me to know? Didn’t want me to find out? I mean, seriously, what the hell?”

  “Do you still care about him?” Dad asks looking like he might get sick, and Tide’s hand on my thigh gets tight.

  “No, I don’t care about him, but I’m pretty sure there is an unwritten rule somewhere that states that a man should not sleep with his ex’s mother, and a mother should not sleep with her daughter’s ex.” My voice rises, as I yell, “Especially when the mother involved is still flipping married!”

  “Aria,” Tides calls, and I look at him. “Calm down.”

  “You cannot tell me to calm down when I just found out that my mom is sleeping with my ex-husband, my ex-husband—I will remind you—who is taking me back to court to get more alimony.”

  “He’s what?” Dad asks.

  “Oh yeah.” I nod franticly. “Josh is taking me back to court to get more alimony, so now I have to deal with that not so fun situation again.” I drag the last word out.

  “I had no idea,” he says quietly, his tone almost reflective.

  “How could you know? We don’t talk, and we don’t have a relationship, which is going to suck for you. Maybe not now, but someday, because Tide and I are going to get married, and you’re not exactly the kind of person I want around Olivia or any other children we have. And mom is definitely not someone I want around my family—now even more than before. I mean, you guys messed me up enough growing up, and there is no way I want my kids to think you two are normal.”

  “Who’s Olivia?” Dad asks and I shake my head.

  “Tide’s daughter.”

  “You have a daughter?” Dad asks, sounding stunned, and I roll my eyes.

  “See what I mean? I’ve been seeing Tide pretty much since I got back to town, and you guys know nothing about him.”

  “You don’t share anything with me,” he says, and I shrug.

  “You’re right; I don’t. When you’re sober, you’re not exactly Mr. Approachable, and when you’re drunk, it doesn’t make sense to tell you anything, because you won’t remember it anyway.”

  “That’s not fair.”

  “Maybe, but it’s still true,” I say as Tide turns into my parents’ driveway. When we pull up out front of the house and park, Dad doesn’t get out right away, and I turn to look at him. “Do you need help getting inside?”

  “I don’t want to go inside,” he says quietly before scrubbing his hands down his face. “Do you think you can take me to a hotel?”

  “You don’t have to crash at a hotel.” I sigh, and Tide takes my hand and laces his fingers through mine. “You can sleep on the pull-out in the living room at my house.”

  “After everything you just said, you’re inviting me to stay with you?” His tone is filled with disbelief.

  “Just because I don’t like the way you are, doesn’t mean I don’t care about you. You’re still my dad.”

  “Are you sure it’s okay?” He looks at Tide.

  “It’s fine with me.”

  “Thanks,” Dad says.

  “Do you need anything from inside, since we’re already here?”

  “It probably wouldn’t hurt to pack a bag.” He opens his door, and Tide and I get out as well. Once inside the house, we help him up the stairs after he attempts to make it on his own but falls twice. When we reach the top landing, I start leading him toward the master bedroom, but he stops me. “My room is down here.”

  “Right,” I mutter, taking him into what was the guest room when I was a kid but is obviously his room now. With the state he’s in, I make him sit on the side of his bed, then grab his travel suitcases from the top of the closet and ask what he wants me to pack. It doesn’t take long to gather stuff from the bathroom, a couple of suits, and a pair of pajamas. After zipping up his bag, Tide takes it from me, and we head back downstairs.

  “Is your car parked at the bar?” Tide asks him when we’re getting into the truck, and Dad mumbles in the affirmative. “Give me your keys, since we’re gonna pass by there on the way out of town. Aria can drive it to the house. That way, you’ll have it tomorrow.”

  “Thanks.” Dad passes the keys up to the front, and I take them from him.

  When we reach the bar, Tide parks behind my dad’s Jaguar and I open my door. “I’ll follow you, baby.”

  I nod, hop out, and get into my dad’s car. It takes me a minute to get everything adjusted before I back out, and as I exit the parking lot, I glance in the rearview mirror to make sure Tide is behind me. As I head for
home, I try to figure out how I feel about everything I learned tonight, but it’s too much to process on the fifteen-minute drive to my house. And really, I think it’s too much to process without the help of a psychologist.

  I pull into the driveway, parking my dad’s car next to mine, and Tide pulls up next to me. Before I even have a chance to open my door, he’s there helping me out, then wrapping his arms around me in a tight hug.

  “I needed that.” I sigh, and he pulls back just enough to look into my eyes.

  “I love you.”

  “I needed that too,” I say quietly.

  “Your dad passed out on the way here. I’m thinking it might be better if we head on in and make up his bed, or he can sleep in Olivia’s bed, since she’s not here.”

  “He’s not sleeping in Olivia’s bed,” I deny instantly, and he smiles like he thinks I’m cute.

  “All right, then let’s make up the couch, and I’ll come back out to get him.”

  “This is a mess.” I drop my forehead to his chest. “Why didn’t we just take him to a hotel when he suggested it?”

  “Because he’s your dad.”

  “That’s a stupid reason,” I mutter, and he laughs.

  “You’re doing the right thing, baby.” He urges me back and cups my cheeks. “And I’m proud of you for being honest with him.”

  “He probably won’t remember anything I said.”

  “Maybe not, but you will.”

  “Yeah,” I agree, and he leans in and kisses my forehead, then takes my hand in his, and we head into the house. It takes the two of us a good ten minutes to figure out how to set up the pull-out in the living room, and another ten to make the bed. And not surprisingly, my dad never wakes up, not even when Tide carries him into the house bridal style, or even while we put him to bed.

  ________________

  I TAKE A sip of my coffee and smile over the rim of my cup at Tide when he winks at me after catching the pancake he just flipped into the air.

  “You’re such a show off.”

  “You love me.” He laughs, dumping the pancake onto a plate and handing it over to me.

  “Morning.” We both turn at the sound of my dad’s voice, and I sweep my eyes over him, finding him a little worse for wear with his hair a mess and his clothes wrinkled from sleeping in them last night.

  “Morning.”

  “Can I use the restroom?” He glances around, seeming lost and uncomfortable, and I wonder if he remembers what happened last night or if he just feels awkward being here. It’s probably the latter. Whenever I would stay at my parents, my dad would normally be gone for work before I would even get up, and by the time he got home he’d be his happy drunken self which meant we were never really around each other when he was sober.

  “There’s a half bath down the hall there.” I motion with my coffee mug to the door a few feet away. “And a shower upstairs, first door on the right. Your suitcase is in the hall up there.”

  “Thanks.” He nods before heading up the steps, and a minute later, I hear the shower start up.

  “Eat up, baby, before your food gets cold,” Tide orders, and I pick up the syrup and drown my pancake, then take a huge bite, watching him grin. “So I was thinking. Today, we could go to my place and look around, decide what we should sell and what we want to move over here.”

  “What?” I ask around my mouthful, and he brings his coffee over and puts his elbows to the counter in front of me.

  “If I’m living here, there’s not much of a reason for me to keep my place. We just need to decide if we want to sell it or rent it out for a little extra income.”

  “You’re moving in with me?” I ask after I swallow a gulp of coffee and the food in my mouth.

  “Baby, I already moved in with you. You just weren’t paying attention,” he says, and I laugh while he leans toward me. “I just think it’s time we make it official.”

  “Right,” I say quietly before he leans in to place a soft kiss against my lips. Smiling, I take another bite of pancake, then once I chew and swallow, I ask, “Do you think it would be better to rent your house out? I know there’s not many properties available to rent in town, especially in your neighborhood.”

  “We can talk to a realtor and see what they think.” He shrugs.

  “You have a house for rent?” my dad asks, and I wonder how I didn’t hear him coming down the steps, especially with his suitcase that is at his side. I watch him walk into the kitchen, dressed in his suit, with his hair styled and his face clean of the scruff that was on his jaw when he woke up.

  “We might,” Tide says. “You want some coffee?”

  “Yes, thank you.” My dad looks at me, his face going soft for a moment, and I swear it looks like he wants to hug me. It’s something I don’t ever remember him doing, so I’m not completely disappointed when he clears his throat and focuses on Tide instead. “I might be interested in looking at the house you want to rent.”

  “For what?” I ask, and he turns to me.

  “I’m leaving your mother,” he states easily while accepting a mug of coffee from Tide and my stomach bottoms out.

  “You’re leaving Mom?”

  “Yes, and I’m sorry if that upsets you.” Since I know jumping up and down and giving him a high-five would not be the right reaction, I nod, trying to keep my face neutral. “I doubt she will make things easy, so I’ll probably have to find a place to live while we get things ironed out between us.”

  “I’m sure Tide would be okay with you staying at his house.” I look at my guy, and my dad turns his way.

  “I’ll give you the address and one of the spare keys. You can take a look around, and if you want it, consider it yours as long as you need it.”

  “I appreciate that,” Dad says, then looks at his watch. “I have some stuff to take care of today. I’m scheduled to meet a client in an hour.”

  “Of course,” I agree, and he sets down his still mostly full cup of coffee.

  “Thank you both for last night.” He clears his throat as his gaze meets mine. “I’m sorry, Aria, for everything.”

  Tears cause my nose to sting, and I hold onto my cup tighter when I really just want to get up and give him a hug. “I’m sorry too.”

  “Never doubt that I love you. You are the best thing I ever did in my life, and I know I’ve messed up. But I want to have a relationship with you.”

  “I want that too.” The words are barely audible over the sudden tightness in my throat.

  “Then we will work on that while I work on me,” he says, and a sense of hopefulness fills me, because it’s the first time he’s ever acknowledged that he has a problem and that things between us are not like they should be.

  “I’ll call you this evening, if that’s all right with you.”

  “You can call me anytime, and my couch is always available if you need a place to crash.” I get up to walk him to the door, and he shocks me by wrapping his arms around me.

  “I love you,” he says, and the tears I’ve been fighting back fill my eyes before I can stop them, then start to leak down my cheeks. “Never doubt that.”

  Unable to speak, I nod, then he transfers me to Tide. I burrow against his warm, hard chest as his arms wrap around me, and he holds me tight as the front door closes. “Did that just happen?”

  “It did.” His arms around me get tighter. “The situation with you mom cheating with your ex might have woke him up, baby.”

  “Maybe.” I agree then let out a deep breath. “I don’t want to get my hopes up, but I really do hope he get’s it together, not for me but for himself.”

  “I hope so too.” He kisses the top of my hair and I lean my head back to meet his gaze.

  “So my dad is leaving my mom and hopefully getting sober, and you’re officially moving in with me even though you’ve been basically living here since I have?”

  “Yep.” He says as his eyes roam over my face.

  “It’s a busy day and it’s not even ten.” />
  “Yep.” His lips curve up into a smile, and I lean up on my tiptoes to kiss him but keep my hand against his jaw.

  “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “For always being right where I need you to be, for being strong, for loving me the way that you do and for knowing just what I need.”

  “Loving you is easy Aria, and you feeling like you’re getting what you need from me just means I’m doing my job.”

  “Only you would make it seem like it’s not a big deal.” I roll my eyes and his hand slides around my back so that he can pull us closer together.

  “Stop talking and kiss me.” He orders and I sigh, then give him what he wants because I always what him to feel like he’s getting what he needs from me too.

  Epilogue

  Tide

  Three Months Later

  “STOP HIM!” I hear Aria shout as I open the door to our house.

  Olivia yells, “I can’t! He’s too fast.”

  Not sure what I just walked into, I kick off my boots, then slip off my coat and beanie, tossing both to the back of one of the chairs around the dining table before I walk farther into the house. As I step into the kitchen, Mittens—the cat George bought for Olivia—zooms down the steps from upstairs and runs into the living room. A long ribbon trails behind him as both girls pound down the steps.

  “You couldn’t stop him!” Aria cries, running behind Olivia, and I smile as both of my girls chase the cat around the room in an attempt to rid him of the red ribbon that he somehow got taped to his back leg. With the two of them unable to capture him, I grab his bag of treats from his cabinet and shake it. Like always, he stops what he’s doing, comes directly to the source of his favorite food, and curls his body around my feet.

  “Why didn’t we think of that?” Olivia asks as I pick him up.

  “I have no idea.” Aria rolls her eyes at me when I smile before she unwraps the tape and ribbon from his leg.

  “I’ll take him back upstairs and get ready,” Olivia says, and Aria takes the cat from my hold, handing her to my daughter. She carries him up the steps, reprimanding him quietly for what he did, as she disappears out of sight.