The Footballer's Girlfriend

Part Two - Chapter Twenty-Three: William's Announcement

William Santos took a deep breath as he stared up at the house where his daughter lived, it had been over a year since he had actually seen or spoken to her; he hated how things had played out with his only child. 

William knew that he only had himself to blame for what had happened, he hadn't really done much to improve the situation; he had been wrapped up in his own world since his marriage with Jennifer had come to an abrupt end. 

It was only through magazines that William had seen his first grandchild really, sure Eliana had sent him a couple of pictures but he wanted to meet Elsa; he didn't want this to continue anymore. 

William moved towards the front door and knocked, he waited for a moment before making sure that he had everything; it was his daughter's birthday and he wanted to see her. 

It wasn't long before the door opened and William couldn't help but stare at the sight of Cristiano and Elsa, the little girl looked so much like Eliana and it made William hate himself even more for not making much of an effort. 

"William?" Cristiano murmured in greeting, he shifted his hold on his daughter slightly curious about why the man had shown up; he knew things weren't the best between him and Eliana and he didn't want any trouble. 

William smiled weakly at Cristiano, he really hoped that the other man wasn't going to turn him away and he was so sure that he was doing the right thing for once. 

Cristiano allowed William into the house, he knew that Eliana was on unsure ground and he hoped the two could move past it sometime soon; he didn't want Eliana to ever have any regrets. 

"Eliana's in the living room," Cristiano murmured nodding towards the room, he was going to set Elsa down for a nap and he hoped that he was doing the right thing; father and daughter needed to talk before something happened and it was too late.

William thanked him softly before he walked towards the living room, he guessed that it was only right that he spoke with Eliana first before he even tried to bond with his granddaughter. 

"Eliana?" William murmured making his daughter turn to look at him as he stood in the living room, he didn't know what else to say; there was so much that he had to apologise for. 

Eliana stared at her father for a moment, she was surprised to see him and she knew that she should have seen this visit coming; she hadn't seen him in person in over a year now since her mother had gotten divorced. 

"What are you doing here?" Eliana asked watching him as he moved to sit down, she had no idea what to make of this and she was actually surprised that he hadn't brought his girlfriend with him to meet her. 

William cleared his throat, he honestly wished that he had gone about this whole thing better; there was no taking back the hurt that he had caused and he knew that it would take time for her to forgive him. 

Jennifer hadn't been the only person hurt by his actions, he had done what he could to apologise to her and now it was time for him to make things right with Eliana. 

"I came to see you," William said setting down his bag, he could see that she wasn't happy to see him and he knew it was his own fault for not reaching out sooner; he had thought that in time that she would come around and speak to him when she was ready. 

"I got you some things for your birthday," William continued trying to break the ice, he wanted to make amends and he had been a horrible father in the last year; he couldn't forgive himself for the mess that he had made when he'd cheated on Jennifer.

Eliana only nodded her head, she wished that she could understand why he had done what he had; she knew that it was never going to be the same, he had Sara now and her mother had moved on with her life. 

Jennifer was happier now than she had been in years, she loved traveling and Eliana knew that it was something that she had always wanted to do; she could tell that the divorce had been the right thing for her parents now. 

"I am sorry about what happened with your mãe," William mumbled knowing that this had been a very long time coming, he had been selfish and he was trying to make it right; he didn't want to miss anything else in Eliana's life. 

William had no idea what was going on with the wedding but he wanted to be the one to walk her down the aisle when she married Cristiano; however he would also understand if she didn't want him there at all after what had happened. 

"I should have done the right thing and ended my marriage before she was hurt, if I could take it back I would," William rambled softly, he looked down at his hands and messed with his watch, it was the one that Eliana had sent him for his birthday and he wore it everywhere he went. 

Eliana chewed on her lip, she could see that he was actually sorry and she knew that she had to let this go; being angry wasn't going to change the fact that her parents were happier apart than they had ever been together. 

Eliana got up from her seat and sat down on the coffee table, she gently took her father's hand knowing that she had to let go of the past; she had been stubborn and stupid just as much as he had. 

"I forgive you," Eliana said making William stare at her for a moment, he wasn't entirely sure that he had heard her right for a moment; he watched Eliana hoping that this wasn't some sort of cruel joke. 

Elianna offered him a reassuring smile, it was going to take some time for her to adjust but she knew that it was time for her to move on and she hoped that she could get along well with his girlfriend if the need came to it.

***

William couldn't help but fuss as he held Elsa in his arms, she was so much like her mother and he remembered what it was like to hold Eliana in his arms like this; he cooed over the infant knowing that he was very lucky. 

Cristiano had popped out to pick up some lunch, he seemed pleased that the rift between William and Eliana was closing; he was hopeful that they would put the past behind them. 

Eliana smiled watching her father with Elsa, it had been strange to see them together at first and she guessed that it would mean she would see William more now that he had been welcomed back into her life. 

William peeked at Eliana, he had another reason for coming to see his daughter and he was hopeful that she would agree; it would mean the world to him if she did since she was the only family he had left now. 

"I was wondering. If it wasn't too much to ask. You see I've asked Sara to marry me and I would very much like you to be there," William spluttered trying to get his wording right, he looked at Eliana hopefully knowing that it was a long shot.

 William didn't even know how his daughter would react to this news but she was the first person to know about it; he had wanted her to be and he knew that Sara was a little worried about what would happen. 

Eliana stared at her father for a moment a little surprised that he had asked, she had no idea about how to feel about this but she could see how much this meant to him. 

"I'll see what I can do," Eliana replied not making any promises, she didn't know how she would react when it came to meeting Sara and that made her a little wary.