Build Me Up (NaNoWriMo)

Day 25 (658 words)

Ford drove straight from the airport to the construction site. He didn’t want to go home to an empty house now that Annabelle was on a plane back to California. The few days into the new year that they had spent together had been better than the last days of the previous year, and Ford had hope he could rebuild his relationship with his daughter, even from the opposite coast.

Not that he wasn’t looking into other options, of course. If the opportunity presented itself, he wasn’t about to turn down a business opportunity that took him away from Greenport. Especially if it brought him closer to Annabelle.

Kristen had made him realize that the reason his relationship with Annabelle was strained wasn’t because of the physical distance between them, but the emotional one. Trying to act the responsible parent and steering Annabelle away from the frivolous lifestyle her mother advocated had turned him into a grumpy and bossy father. No wonder Annabelle preferred sunny California when Ford’s mood could darken even the clearest Massachusetts sky.

Kristen. He hadn’t spoken to her since the night she slammed the door in his face, but he knew he couldn’t put it off forever. He needed to apologize, but he didn’t know how to go from here. The problem remained – they lived very different lives. Even if Annabelle accepted Kristen as a part of their family unit – and he was pretty sure she would – Kristen was still his polar opposite. She went out and enjoyed life wherever she could while he shut himself up, hiding out in familiar surroundings.

Despite all that, though, he couldn’t deny that his feelings for her weren’t going anywhere. He’d fallen in love with her. If he hadn’t figured it out before, it became pretty evident when they spent the weekend together in New York. He’d seen her bond with Annabelle; fit herself into both their lives effortlessly. Not because she’d tried to, but because she simply couldn’t help herself.

The construction site came into view and Ford steeled himself for his first meeting with Kristen since their confrontation.

Kristen looked up from her papers when she heard a truck pull up outside the trailer. Realizing it was Ford, she quickly tucked the document she’d been reading back into its envelope and slipped it in between her other papers.

The door opened and his frame filled the doorway.

“Hey.”

His voice was raspy and calm, but the cold coming in through the open door made Kristen shiver. She instinctively rubbed her arms.

“Good morning.”

“I just dropped Annabelle off at the airport,” he said and stepped inside, pulling the door to the trailer shut behind him.

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

“I’m the one who should be sorry, Kristen,” Ford said and walked over to the table, pulling up a chair. “I’m sorry I blew up at you.”

“You were worried about Annabelle. Don’t worry, I get it.” Kristen straightened her pile of papers in an attempt to distract herself. “I may not have any experience whatsoever when it comes to parenting, but I understand that, at least.”

“Kristen,” Ford said and took her hands in his, “you have better instincts than you think. You were right – about a lot of things.”

Kristen felt her whole body heat up – Ford’s warmth seeping into her skin from where they touched – and forced herself to meet his eyes. They were sincere as they looked back at her.

“I have something else to apologize for, too,” he said calmly and Kristen felt the warmth drain as quickly as it had arrived. “I told Annabelle about us. Well, about me – how I feel about you.”

Kristen swallowed, a million thoughts running through her head at once. Which question to ask first? ‘How did she react’ or ‘how do you feel about me’? Clearly, her indecision showed, because Ford went right ahead and answered her unspoken question.

“I’m in love with you, Kristen.”