The Story of Tonight

Chapter Thirteen

Emilia's mood had shifted significantly now that she and Lin were wheeling a cart full of bedroom items out to his car. He'd let her pick out new bedding and some decorations to make his spare room seem more like her own.

Lin was excited to have her officially setting up shop at his place. He hoped she'd visit often but also didn't want to put a rift between her and Vanessa. Emilia was still obviously very upset with her. He hoped to broach the subject with her at the right time.

They arrived home and Emilia immediately took everything to her room. They switched out the boring bedding and made the bed up with a new bright yellow and light gray set. Lia put down a rug on the hardwood floor and opened up the blinds. She had a great view of the George Washington Bridge.

Having Lin for a dad was going to be so much fun. He let her order pizza and soda, not reminding her not to have too much like her mother would have done. Her mother could be so suffocating and Lin was like a breath of fresh air.

"Mmmm," she groaned as she hit into her third slice of pizza. "This is so good."

Her mouth was full but she continued. "Mom never lets me eat three pieces."

"Don't overstuff yourself kiddo," he chuckled. They were watching Ozark on Netflix, something her mother would never let her watch.

"Can you believe my mom won't let me watch this?" She asked. "What's the big deal?"

Lin panicked. The last thing he needed was Vanessa being mad at him for letting their kid watch gore. He pressed pause and returned to the main menu. Damn, he knew nothing about kids.

"Hey!" She complained, her mouth full of pizza.

"Sorry," he said, licking his fingers. "Maybe not a good idea if your mom doesn't approve."

"Who cares?" She said brazenly. "She's a liar."

Lin sighed, not liking Lia trashing her mother. "Lia," he began. "Your mom's not the enemy. She made a mistake."

"A mistake?" She gaped. "She lied to me for fourteen years. I'd say that's more than a mistake."

"She had her reasons," Lin said, though he wasn't sure why he was defending her.

"Are you trying to say you're not completely pissed she didn't tell you?"

"Of course I am," he said. "I would love to have been around when you were growing up. I missed so much and it kills me. But harping on the past will just make you bitter. Let's focus on what we have now."

Lia didn't completely buy it but she was willing to humor him. "That's right," she said. "We can hang out all the time and I can hang out at the theatre and-"

"Remember, you still live with your mom," he said. "I work nights so we might only get to hang out on the weekends."

"But...can't I hang out at the theatre with you?" She asked.

"Sure, sometimes, but when I'm at a performance I can't really hang out," he pointed out gently. "I've gotta focus on my job."

Lia deflated a bit, tossing the last half of her pizza on her plate and reclining. Now that she had a newly discovered and totally awesome dad, she wanted to be with him non-stop.

"Yeah, I guess," she conceded, staring blankly ahead.

Lin sensed she was disappointed and scooted closer to her. He draped an arm around her shoulders. "We'll be together tons," he promised her. "I promise you. We'll find a balance."

Lia nodded in agreement and decided to enjoy the time with her dad before he had to head to the theatre. He chose an Austin Powers movie and they settled into a comfortable silence.