She had the bewildered air of a little child who couldn't fully comprehend her parent's behavior. Jasper gulped loudly—this was the chance he had prayed for. Never before had he truly believed in the existence of a higher being, but this beautiful moment had convinced him of it.
"It's a long story, princess. We might as well make ourselves comfortable."
Jasper was surprised when she accepted the hand he offered to her. The contact was reassuring, but he didn't delude himself into believing that everything would be okay—he had entertained the idea of asking for forgiveness, but now he knew that he didn't deserve even that.
Maria was napping, so they went into the kitchen. As usual, Jane filled two mugs with coffee. Many nights, they had spent like this—bonding over they shared love for caffeine. But the tension simmering underneath the calm façade was a mockery of the familiarity of the scene. Jasper needed to remind himself of their changed circumstances—he couldn't afford to fall apart when her rejection came. No, he didn't want to coerce Jane into saying things she didn't mean just to appease her broken father.
It was time he owned up to his mistakes … After eighty eight years he was finally ready to become a man.