Alec's POV
"Hi Alexander", my father says as I sit opposite him.
"Hello", I say.
He looks better than I remember. His dark blue eyes are shining in the dim light of the cafe. His dark hair and beard are well trimmed and he looks healthier than the time I last saw him.
I was so used to seeing him in suits, that seeing him in a shirt looked weird.
I can see his eyes studying me. Though I look more like my mother, there are some traces of him in my eyebrows and jawline.
"How are you? ", he asks.
"I'm fine. You? ", I ask.
"Excellent. I heard you, Izzy, Jace and Max are now living together", he says.
"Yeah. I won Max's custody a few months ago. So, we are living together now", I say.
"The guy you came with. Is he your boyfriend? ", he asks.
"No, he's just a friend", I say and hope against hope that I'm not blushing .
My car had a flat tire and Magnus had to drop me at the cafe.
"I just thought. Okay, but you two had a lot of chemistry", he says.
I raise my eyebrows at him but don't say anything.
"So, how are Izzy, Jace and Max? ", he asks.
"All of them are good", I say.
"Has Max adjusted to his new school? ", he asks.
"Yeah", I say.
"How's your work going?", he asks.
"Good", I say.
"Do you want to eat something? ", the waitress asks as she approaches us.
"Coffee? ", he asks, looking at me.
"Okay", I say.
"Two coffees. Black with sugar", he says and looks at me.
I nod at him and the waitress walks away.
"Alec, I'm so sorry for everything, I did. I was very cruel and unfair, I know. But I'm honestly sorry for everything I said and did. I don't expect you to instantly forgive me but just know that I'm sorry, okay? ", he asks.
"Okay", I say, in a small voice.
He beams at me for a moment.
"Will you come to my wedding? ", he asks.
"Yeah", I say. I was honestly getting tired with my monosyllabic answers.
"Thank you, thank you so much, Alec", he says.
I smile a half smile at him.
"So, I wanted to ask you and Anna quite agrees too", he says.
"Ask me what? ", I ask.
"Will you be my best man? ", he asks.
"Your best man? ", I ask, not believing his words.
"Yeah. It's okay if you don't want to. I just thought we could have a new start. I thought this could be a good beginning for us", he says.
"Yes. I mean, I will be your best man", I say.
"Thank you so much, Alec. You'll like Anna. She's so sweet and understanding", he says.
"Is she coming to the wedding? ", I ask.
"Your mother? No", he says and I let out a sigh of relief.
"Okay", I say.
"So, we are getting our suits fitted next week. So, can you, Jace and Max meet me, next week?", he asks.
"Okay. Where's this place?", I ask.
"Can I have your number? I'll text you the address",he says.
"Yeah fine", I say and tell him my number.
"Check if you got my text", he says.
"Yeah, I got it", I say.
"And, Anna's pregnant", he says.
"Oh. Congratulations", I say and hope he doesn't hear the bitterness in my voice.
"I know. It's kinda weird having a daughter again but I'm excited too", he says.
"Um, father?", I say.
"Yeah?", he says, looking at me.
"Max has just started a new life. You'll have to make effort to stay in it. You can't meet him once and then disappear for months like you always do. I want him to have a stable family. If you promise me that you'll make effort and keep in constant touch, I'll bring Max to the wedding", I say.
"I promise you, Alec. I hope to be a better person", he says.
"Okay", I say.
"So, goodbye then, Alec. I'll call you soon. It's been ages since I talked to Jace,Iz and Max. I miss them", he says.
"Okay,goodbye", I say and both of us step out of the cafe.
"Seems like a good friend. He waited for you the whole time", he says, looking at Magnus walking towards us.
"Um, this is Magnus Bane", I say.
"And Magnus, this is my father", I say.
"Oh hello sir, pleased to meet you", he says in a clearly fake tone and shakes my father's hand.
"Hello Magnus", he says.
"So, we'd better get going", I say.
"One minute, Alec. I want to invite Magnus to my wedding", he says.
"To your wedding?", Magnus says, evidently shocked.
"Yeah. You're Alec's friend. You should come. Here's the invitation", he says, holding out a card.
"Thank you, sir", he says, looking at the card in confusion.
"So, see you later, Alec", he says and pulls me in a hug. I awkwardly stand for a moment until he lets me go.
Magnus and I walk in silence to the car and I climb beside me. Magnus looks at me for a moment, then bursts out laughing.
"What's so funny?", I ask.
"Your expression when he hugged you", he says, breathless.
"It couldn't have been funnier than your face when he gave you the invitation", I say.
"Fine. Did it go okay?", he asks, looking at me, his amber eyes clouded with concern.
"It went well. He apologized and asked me if I could be his best man", I say.
"What did you say?", he asks.
"I said okay", I say.
"Okay",he says.
"Okay", I say and both of us don't talk anything for the rest of the ride.