Imperfect Match (Elixir Bachelor Billionaires #1)

“Wouldn’t it have been easier if she were with you?”

“Dad—”

“It’s because of Monica, isn’t it?” Dad’s voice lowers.

I don’t remember the last time we talked about the woman, but there’s an unusual heaviness in my father’s otherwise warm voice.

“We don’t have to talk about this, Dad.”

“But we do, especially when I see that not having talked in the past is perhaps the reason you’re giving up on one of the biggest happinesses of your life. Despite how your mother’s and my relationship went, I never regretted having you, Ace.”

“I know, Dad. I also know that woman was just too greedy and too selfish.” And I carry those genes in me.

A sad smile tugs on his lips. “An abundance of money comes with its own set of problems, Charles. Since you could learn, you were taught to differentiate between its power and pitfalls. But what about those who see the other side of it every day? The side where there’s only less of everything—opportunities, money, safety. Do you blame Monica for wanting an easy pass when she saw wealth that could change her whole life?”

Before I can nod and scream, “Hell yeah, I do,” Dad sighs.

“I don’t. Not anymore. Because I’ve realized I was also at fault somewhere in our relationship. I should have been clearer that I wanted nothing to do with the family business and the money that comes with the Hawthorne name. We weren’t the right match, and I should have seen it sooner.”

My dad takes the blame for something that isn’t his fault, and my respect only grows for the man.

He leans forward. “But nothing makes a father more sad than knowing his kid is missing life’s happiness because of his faults.”

“It’s no one’s fault. I’m just not cut out for this.” I look away to escape the look of disappointment on his face.

“Nobody is cut out for being a dad, Ace. This is not a skill you can learn by taking a course. But someday, after hours of waiting, a nurse places a small crying bundle in your arms wrapped in a white towel. That kid looks back at you and holds your finger in its tiny fist. And it’s just you and the baby while everything else around you dissolves.”

Dad places his hand over mine. “That’s when you know you’ll do everything for that little person, and your life will never be the same. Being a dad is not a task. It’s a feeling, and you don’t feel it until that moment.”

Something heavy clogs in my chest as I imagine being in the hospital and holding my baby. One part Daisy and one part me.

“I might not understand all your fears, Charlie, but I know you. You’re my kid, and you don’t give up.”

Dad straightens up and circles my desk. “So even if you think you’re not cut out for it, you’ll work to become what you have to in order to give all the happiness in this life to your wife and your kid. And you will not stop until you’re the most awesome dad in the world.” His voice is no longer soft but filled with energy, and I can’t deny that I feel it inside me as well.

“I think that title is already taken.”

He grins and slaps my back. It only takes a few more seconds for my lips to curl up the same way.

“That’s what I’m talking about. You’re the best fucking son, Charles. And I’d hate to see you give up on one of the greatest happinesses in life just because you’re scared.”

My father’s words hang in my office even after he leaves, and I find myself too restless to settle down. I leave my seat and walk toward the glass wall where I’ve observed Daisy from afar for four years.

But today, everything is different.

There are no pink Post-its in my office any longer.

There’re no sparkly napkins at the bar.

And even though the maintenance staff is asked to check up on her plants, they’re turning dry, one leaf at a time.

I had someone from the local nursery check up on them last week, but if that doesn’t work, I’ll be sending them to the state’s best botanist.

But they don’t need an expert.

They just need her. Exactly like you.

“Can I ask for some help?”