“I invited him. And don’t even ask me why.” Madysen let her exasperation with the whole situation tint her words as she waved her hands in front of her sisters.
“You did?” Havyn and Whitney chimed together.
“It was a bad idea, I know. But I guess I felt sorry for him when we didn’t invite him to the wedding, and somehow I ended up inviting him here.”
Havyn’s red hair swung with the shaking of her head. “Oh, no, you don’t. Don’t blame this on me, or the fact I asked him not to come to the wedding. We all agreed it was for the best.”
“I wasn’t blaming you. I’m sorry.” Madysen put a hand to her forehead. “I just felt guilty. How do I get myself into these things?”
“You have a big heart.” Havyn glanced over to their dad. “We should probably take our cue from you, but frankly, it’s hard having him around. Without Mama.” Her words softened.
Without Mama. No one said a word for several moments.
Losing Mama tore at Madysen’s heart every hour of every day. Her world had tilted, and she wasn’t sure it would ever be upright again.
“Look, I didn’t invite him to be nice or merciful, believe it or not. I’m not really sure why I sent the invitation. I feel sorry for him, yes, but in truth I’m also angry. I suppose I thought it might ease both.”
Her brother-in-law, John, stepped closer. “I couldn’t help but overhear.”
Madysen grimaced. “I’m sorry. To all of you.” She pressed her hands to her temples. “I shouldn’t have invited him.”
John patted her shoulder. “No apology necessary.”
It soothed her spirit in places she couldn’t even explain. Probably because she never had a brother . . . or much of a dad for that matter. Being the youngest in her family was normally a joy, but at times she wrestled with it. Especially when everyone mothered her. With Mama gone, her older sisters wanted to protect her, but they didn’t know how to fill the holes. And that was the thing . . . no one could.
He took a moment to look at each of them. “I know how hard this has been on all of you. But it appears your father’s not leaving anytime soon. So might I suggest that we deal with it the best we can?”
Several moments passed as they exchanged glances between each other.
Whitney was the first to speak. She lifted her chin. “Yes, as much as I was hoping this would be easier, he does seem to be staying in Nome, so I think we should probably come up with a plan for how we are going to deal with this.”
John stepped even closer and motioned the sisters in. “You can’t avoid him forever. Whit is right. We need some sort of plan. Do you want me to talk to him?”
Even though everyone always said Madysen was the merciful sister, for some reason she wasn’t feeling any toward their father. She watched her sisters for their response. The last few months had changed them all, but they were in this together.
Havyn pursed her lips. “You’re right, we can’t avoid him, no matter how difficult this is. And as much as I appreciate you offering to speak to him, John, we need to figure out how we are going to deal with the situation.”
Whitney crossed her arms over her chest. “All right then. Let’s make a plan. What do you know about him, John?”
He tilted his head a bit.
The lively party continued around them, which made it difficult for Madysen to stay focused. She’d much rather be distracted by the fun. But John cleared his throat, and she forced herself to listen.
“I’ve heard that he really is a nice man. So maybe his story of turning his life around is true.”
“I highly doubt that.” Whit’s mama-bear mentality had kicked into high gear. Something Madysen loved about her. “It’s going to take a lot more than him showing up in Nome and telling us that he’s changed to convince me. I’m going to need to see it for myself.”
“As much as it hurts to say it, I agree.” Havyn ducked her head a bit. “I’m thankful that he’s alive and not dead—I am. But this is a lot to swallow. Especially after losing Mama.”
Tears sprang to Madysen’s eyes. Sometimes she hated the way she became emotional so quickly. “I’m thankful he’s alive too. But this is hard. I guess I didn’t realize how hard. Oh, why did he have to show up this summer?”
“Maddy, I’m sorry, and this is supposed to be your birthday party.” Havyn wrapped her arms around her in a big hug. “Do you want us to ask him to leave?”
Her thoughts warred with one another. On one hand, she wished she could avoid it all, while on the other, she had an inkling that Mama would want them to at least show him some respect. She pulled out of Havyn’s arms, swiped at her eyes, and straightened her shoulders. “No. I invited him. I should probably go speak with him.” She turned on her heel and headed back toward their father.
An arm on her shoulder stopped her. “We’re coming with you.” The look in Havyn’s eyes almost did her in. But they could do this. Together.
With his hands shoved in his pockets, Dad stood right where she’d left him, looking a bit forlorn. How would she feel if someone had invited her to a party and then left her all alone? Especially if she hadn’t been in town all that long. Her dad probably didn’t know many people. What kind of daughter was she?
Her emotions made everything inside her feel sick. “I’m sorry I left.”
“That’s understandable, Madysen. I’m sorry I put you in this predicament in the first place.” He held out his hands in front of him. “Look, I don’t have any idea how to make things right or where to go from here. I’ve wanted to spend time with you girls . . . get to know you again. But I understand you probably don’t want to talk to me.” His lips thinned into a straight line.
Was he fighting off tears himself?
How was she supposed to respond?
“Hi, Dad.”
Thank goodness. Havyn to the rescue. She nodded toward their dad and leaned toward him in an awkward hug.
Whitney stayed back a pace and kept her arms crossed over her chest. Watching.
Dad stood stiff, his hands at his side. Another awkward pause encompassed them before he spoke. “I should wish you a happy birthday. That is why I’m here after all.” A forced smile now filled his face as he gazed from one sister to another.
“Thank you.” Madysen motioned to a few chairs. “Why don’t we sit down for a few minutes?” That was all she could offer.
He nodded and sat with her. The room filled with familiar faces and lively chatter kept her grounded.
“What have you been doing since you first came to Nome?” One breath at a time, one question at a time. They could have a reasonable conversation with him. Start over. Build something fresh. That was what she wanted, wasn’t it? So why was it so hard?
Because good fathers didn’t do what he did. The thought taunted her.
“Well, I knew you girls needed some time. And frankly, I did too. When your mother died before I got to make things right with her, I wanted to run away and hide. It hit me hard that we’d lost her.”
She nodded. Because that’s all she could do. She couldn’t look at her sisters. They all had tempers, but Mama often said that Madysen’s was the fiercest. Right now, she felt that. And this man was talking about their mother’s loss as if he had some right to grieve along with them. He didn’t have that right. And she wouldn’t give it to him. Never. Clasping her hands together, she squeezed as hard as she could as the heat crept up her chest and neck, threatening to explode out of the top of her head.