“You gonna do right by her, son?” my dad asked, finally speaking up, the emotion in his voice just as heavy as my mom’s.

“If you’re asking if I’ll take care of my daughter, the answer is an infallible yes. But if you’re wondering about the future of Bree and me, I can’t give you that answer. It’s only been a couple of weeks since we’ve been back in each other’s lives, and it’s been really rocky. I don’t know where her head is at, and I don’t want to push her.”

“Where is your head at, son?”

I ran my fingers through my hair, the length finally long enough to grab some. “In regards to Bree? I don’t know, Dad,” I said with a deep sigh. “I can’t even begin to give you an answer. The last time we talked wasn’t very pretty. I think we both have a lot to work through, not only with each other, but with ourselves, too. There is a big issue with trust between us.”

“Well, you’re talking about another person involved, as well, an innocent child, Axel.” My father’s loud voice boomed through the line. “It doesn’t matter how you feel about her mother right now, or even how she feels about you. You both need to get your heads out of your asses and think about what’s best for that little girl.”

“Axel,” my mom said, her melodic voice a massive contrast to my dad’s. “We trust you, honey. While we don’t agree with the decisions you’ve made regarding Bree, we trust that you know what you’re doing. But you can’t call us up, tell us we have another grandchild we know nothing about, and expect us to be calm about it. You made a mistake all those years ago and—”

“No, I didn’t make a mistake, Mom. I’ve had a lot of time to think about it, and even though a lot of unnecessary things happened following those decisions we made and the relationship we both willingly entered, I don’t regret it at all.”

“Sounds to me like you know what you want,” my mom said, sounding very assured in her words. “But knowing you, you’re too stubborn, and maybe even a little scared to go after it. You’re not her teacher anymore. She’s no longer your student. You’re both adults and free to work things out. Stop letting the past hold back your future. You have a daughter to think about now. You can’t afford to waste any more time.”

I nodded, knowing she couldn’t see me, but it was all I could do with my words caught in my throat. I’d accused Bree of being a coward, and yet there I was, doing the same thing. I had allowed my anger over the entire situation—over everything that had ever happened to us—keep me from seeing the bigger picture.

I had a daughter.

And her mother would always be in my life. It just came down to how I wanted her in it. I couldn’t allow my fears of the truth, of our past, of our connection, to keep me from feeling.

I hung up the phone, promising to keep them informed on Ayla and Bree, and gave into my thoughts. I laid down for bed that night, allowing my mind the free reign to feel it all, to go back to the first time I’d set eyes on Bree. The first time I saw her smile. And to the time I realized I loved her. I let it drift to the day she gave herself to me, the way she looked into my eyes and told me how much she loved me. How I’d held her shaky body as she straddled my hips, and promised I would always protect her. And then I thought back to the day I walked away, hearing her cry out for me. I allowed myself to remember the way her voice sounded—so desperate, so scared—and how I had to fight with every ounce of strength I had to not turn around.

But no matter how I felt while reliving those moments, nothing compared to the emotion that filled me as I pictured her eyes, those bright-yellow wolf eyes on the dock after I pulled her from the water. Her hair plastered to her face, the fear in her eyes, the panic in each frantic breath she took. Because I’d felt it, too. I just hadn’t allowed myself to accept it. I’d always been the strong one between us. I’d always been the one to save her, protect her, and nothing made me feel weaker, more scared, than looking into those eyes after all that time.

We had the power to save each other…yet we also had the ability to bring the other to their knees. When you have love as strong as ours, it can be amazing, powerful, life-changing. It can also be devastating, crippling, and destructive. It’s all in how you take care of it.

I hadn’t taken care of it back then. I didn’t protect it the way I should have. I had allowed myself to put us in a position that led us to being discovered. That one choice, that one simple, mindless mistake, tore her away from me. I couldn’t help but wonder what would’ve happened had I never stopped at that dollar store. Had I never kissed her before going in. But it did me no good to question that.

We flourished in the shadows. We existed in the secrecy of our relationship. But the real question was…did we have what it takes to grow in the sun, to survive in public when we have no oppositions but ourselves?

And more importantly…did I want to find the answer?

I arrived at the father-daughter dance early to help set up and get the school’s gym ready. My nerves were fried, my stomach twisted in knots, wondering if Bree would bring Ayla. One of the administrators had the list of students that had brought back a signed form, but I couldn’t find it in me to ask if her name was on that list. So I swallowed my anxiety and focused on setting up the gym.

Before I knew it, kids filtered in the doors, followed by their dads. The little girls wore frilly dresses, and most of the men accompanying them dressed in slacks and ties. Some of the girls even had flowers on their arms, which I assumed came from their fathers to help make the night special. All around me, I had signs of the things I could have, if only I went after it. Everywhere I turned, I had a reminder of what awaited me…as long as Bree brought Ayla.

The flow of arriving people slowed, only a few trickling in from time to time. My hopes began to diminish, fear setting in that Aubrey wouldn’t let me be the man I wanted to be. She wouldn’t allow me to be the father I’d hoped to be. But I had to keep up appearances, not letting it get me down in front of my students and peers.

In a crowd of people by the refreshments table, I felt a tug on my arm. I glanced down, thinking a child wanted something to drink, but to my surprise, I found Ayla standing there.

“Where’s your mommy?” I asked, kneeling down to her level, trying and failing at keeping the overwhelming smile from taking over.

“She walked me in and then left. She told me to come find you. Are you going to be my daddy for the night?”

My heart picked up its pace and drummed against my ribcage. “Ayla, sweetheart, I’ll be anything you want me to be.”

A huge smile stretched across her face, causing her upper lip to nearly disappear. It was Bree’s smile, and it filled me with happiness. She wore her blond hair pulled out of her face, and it only made her look even more like her mother. God, I wanted to hold her and never let her go.

“You look very pretty, Ayla. Is this a new dress?” I asked, fingering the material that hung below her knees. It’s the only thing I could do to keep myself from pulling her into my arms.

She nodded eagerly. “Yes. Nana bought it for me. She said every princess needs a new gown for the ball. Am I a princess, Mr. Taylor?”

“Of course you are, Ayla. Princess Ayla,” I said with a wink, fighting with all my strength to not say more. I wanted to call her my princess. And that’s when I remembered the fairy tale Bree told me on the night of her birthday so many years before. I wanted that to come true, but I didn’t know how.

Before we could say another word to each other, one of the administrators called for everyone’s attention. They were starting the hula-hoop dance. Ayla’s eyes lit up with excitement as she ran to the gathering crowd of kids. I watched her the entire time, fascinated with her. While waiting her turn, she engaged in conversation with some of her classmates, and other girls that were not in her class. It filled me with a sense of pride, observing her in her own element. And it made me think of Bree, of how she’d missed out on this in her youth. Seeing Ayla, looking so much like Bree in that moment, made me sad for the way Aubrey had to grow up. I’d always seen her as a lost and lonely seventeen-year-old. But that was only a snapshot of her life. I’d never fully imagined how things were for her when she was Ayla’s age. Nor had I really allowed myself to accept the person she’d grown into.