Never Getting Back Together

TWENTY-NINE

"Oof," he grunts, laughing as I launch myself into his arms. "Hi, kiddo."

He's got at least six inches on me, so I have to crane my neck to look up at him. His sandy hair is cut short, and his blue eyes are the exact same shade as mine. They crinkle as he grins down at me. "You look beautiful as always," he says, taking in my paisley shirt dress and crisp ponytail. "How are you doing?"

My instinct is to lie. To tell him I'm fine, so he doesn't worry. He has enough stress, and I don't want to add to it any more than I already have. But Dad knows me too well. No doubt, he'd call my bluff. "I'm...hanging in there."

Understanding fills his eyes, and he runs a hand over my hair. "You've been dealing with a lot lately." He lets go of me and glances to where Carrie's watching us from the other side of the car. I was so excited to see my dad I didn't even notice her standing there. Dad waves her over.

"Hi, Quinn." Carrie smoothes her floral maxi dress as she walks over. Her shoulder-length brown hair is shiny in the street lights, and her smile is wide. I don't think I ever noticed how white her teeth are before. Something like nervousness lines her eyes, like she's worried I'm still mad at her.

I glance from Carrie to Dad. He's gazing at her with an expression of complete adoration. There's no way I could hold a grudge against a woman he looks at like that. I want my dad to be happy more than anything, so the smile on my face is real as I say, "Good to see you, Carrie. Welcome to Rosedale."

"It's good to see you. This town is just so charming." She motions around the street, filling with people on their way to the park.

"I love it here," I agree.

"So, hun." Dad swallows, looking suddenly nervous. "We have some news. And we think it will make your life a whole lot easier."

My forehead crinkles. "What kind of news?"

Dad puts an arm around Carrie's waist, pulling her to him. "Carrie and I are engaged."

My eyes fly open, and I press a hand to my mouth as a gasp of surprise escapes. "Engaged? Wow." I'm stunned. I knew things were getting serious between them, but I certainly didn't realize they'd gotten that serious. A shockwave of emotion hits me: astonishment, fear that I won't ever have a good relationship with Carrie, sadness that Dad's will be married to someone other than my mom. It's going to take time to sort through it all. But what I feel above anything else is genuine joy for my dad. He deserves to be happy.

I want them to know how much I mean it, so I force enthusiasm into my voice as I say, "That's amazing! Congratulations."

"Really?" Carrie bites her lip like she can't believe I could put the past behind us so easily.

"Really."

"Oh, thank goodness." She crushes me in a hug. It catches me off-guard, but I recover quickly, hugging her back. "I feel just awful about what happened, and I'd love it if we could start over."

"I'd like that too," I say as she releases me.

Dad rests a hand on my shoulder and clears his throat. "So, one of the many wonderful things about Carrie agreeing to marry me is that she's going to put us on her insurance. Her coverage is a lot better than what my company offers. It's going to pay for the costs of all your medications."

I blink at him. I'm so far past the point of being shocked I can't even form a sentence. I've been living in a constant state of panic over my healthcare expenses for such a long time. The idea that it could all be over is too good to be true.

Dad leans down to my eye level like he wants to make sure I understand what he's saying. "According to the law, you can stay on our insurance until you turn twenty-six. All your medical costs are going to be covered until then. Hopefully, that will give you enough time to get that nutrition business of yours up and running."