Missed Calls From Love

23: Look What The Cat Dragged In

I closed the door to Aiden's car after giving him a kiss on the cheek. When he pulled away,  I released a contented sigh and started the walk up my driveway.

Tonight was perfect, I couldn't ask for anything better. I've never had anyone treat me like that; it really made me see how much he must care about me. Just thinking about our date has me excited for our future together.

I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I didn't even notice the unwelcome car parked in the driveway. I did, however, notice the unwelcome figure standing at the doorway.

"Dad?" I wasn't sure if my eyes were playing tricks on me or not.

When he turned around, my suspicions were confirmed, and I drew my face into a scowl. There he was in all his glory. He looked disheveled in a slightly wrinkled suit, most likely just coming from a business trip. He had bags and dark circles under his eyes. His face was etched with a slew of emotions: sadness, regret, disappointment, nervousness, the list goes on. He just looked plain worn out.

For a moment, I felt a twinge of sympathy for my father, but I quickly buried the emotion. He doesn't deserve my sympathy. He cheated on my mother, and even after she forgave him and tried to move forward he just went back and did it again. He didn't care about my mother's feelings, so why should I care about his?

"Tracey, baby," he said with a small smile.

I crossed my arms over my chest. "Well well, look what the cat dragged in. Why are you here?"

He looked hurt by my comment. Again, I started to feel bad for him, but I pushed it away.

"I... I just want to talk to your mother."

I uncrossed my arms and reached into my bag for my phone. I turned it on and looked at the screen. "It's almost 12 in the morning dad, do you really think she'll want to see you right now?"

Perking up a little bit, he said "What are you still doing out at this hour anyway young lady?"

I held my hand up. "Don't do this right now."

He let out a long breath. "I messed up sweetie."

"You think?" I almost rolled my eyes.

" I just need to talk to her." he repeated.

I sighed. This isn't my fight to fight. "Can you at least come back at a decent time?"

He gave me another small smile. "That's fair enough," he agreed.

I got my keys out of my bag and moved closer to the door. "Oh, and get some sleep. You look terrible." I started to open the door.

I heard him chuckle behind me. "Good night sweetheart."

"Good night, dad."

-

I rolled over on my back, a huge smile plastered on my face. The cold sunshine penetrated through the blinds and bathed my room in light. I love waking up naturally. Checking my clock, I almost grimaced. It's only 8 in the morning!

Way too early for a Saturday.

I rolled back over on my stomach and sprawled my body out on the bed in an attempt to get comfortable. I don't know how I'll ever share a bed with anyone. I have a queen sized bed and I still manage to take up most of the space that it offers. I sleep like a mad woman.

After a while, I did manage to doze off. It seemed like only a couple of minutes before I was woken up by my phone buzzing incessantly, but when I checked the time it was already 9:30. I smiled when I realized that all of the texts were from Aiden.