Chapter 3
"Kate! Kate!" Danny called after her. "Stop. Would you please just stop?!" he pleaded. "Let me explain," he said as he finally came up beside her. For such a tiny thing she could move fast when she wanted to, but her legs were no match for his.
"I can't believe you invited my father to my wedding," she hissed, refusing to look up at him.
"Our wedding," Danny corrected her.
She glared at him. "Whatever." She continued to stride along the path, her cheeks flushed in anger. "You know how I feel about him! I can't believe..."
"Yes!" Danny interrupted, stepping in front of her. Grabbing her arms he bent to look into her flashing green eyes. "Yes, I do know how you feel about him," he told her softly. "You feel hurt and betrayed and angry and afraid..."
"Harrumf," Kate snorted, looking away from Danny's intense gaze as her eyes began to fill with tears. Her bravada was not fooling Danny at all.
"Yes. Afraid," he repeated pulling her into his arms and pressing her cheek against his chest. "Afraid of being rejected, afraid of getting hurt." Kate stood stiffly as he stroked her back. "Afraid that he doesn't love you," he whispered softly into her hair. Her lip quivered. They never really talked about her father, but Danny knew Kate well enough to guess what the problem was. Looking down at her, he stroked her face softly, hoping she could see how much he loved her and would always be there for her.
Seeing all the love in his eyes, the dam finally broke and Kate began to cry, her arms wrapping tightly around Danny. "Sh, sh. It's okay," he whispered. "It's okay."
"But he left you behind," she whispered brokenly. "He knew about Micheal and he knew that I was with you and he still gave the order to leave you behind."
"Sh," Danny soothed, holding her close. "I know he did, but he apologized."
Kate looked up at him, her face streaked with tears. "He did? When?"
"When I was in New York last month," Danny explained. "I had that meeting with General Norman to finish off all the paperwork. When I came out of the meeting he was waiting for me. He knew what I was doing there and who I was meeting. Hell," Danny shrugged, "he knew who I was. I didn't recognize him, even after he introduced himself."
"That's not surprising," Kate interjected, her tears slowing. Her heart was beating furiously in her chest. She had done her best to put her family out of her mind. She wasn't prepared to be confronted with them today of all days. She had tried to convince herself that she was dead to them now and vice versa, after all, she had left New York without a backward glance and then married a....a penniless pilot, no matter that he was an officer and a hero. He didn't have money and he wasn't part of 'Society'. Her parents could not be happy about that. Her entire life had been regimented by what was proper and acceptable. Leaving one's husband, having an affair with a socially unsuitable man, and then having a baby out of wedlock...these were sins that her mother and father were not likely to forgive. Kate shuddered, feeling like she was about to face a firing squad. She told herself that she didn't need their approval, that she had done what her heart knew was right, but there was still that small part of her, the part that was still nine years old, that only wanted to know that her father loved her.
Danny hugged her. "Are you ready to go and talk to him?"
"I don't have a choice, do I?" she asked, her voice a soft whisper in the quiet night. Trying to regain some sense of balance, she looked up at Danny with a wry grin. "Unless you let me seduce you right here. It would be very romantic to make love under the stars on our wedding night."
Danny smiled slightly, knowing that she was trying to be brave. "I'd hate for Rafe to have to come out and look for us....could be embarrassing."
Sighing, Kate stepped away from him. "Okay. Let's go. I don't guess that he'll go away."
"That's my girl," Danny said, taking her hand as they walked. "I'll be right there with you."
"You better be," Kate told him. "Because it's your fault that he's here." There was no anger in her voice, just resignation.
The walk back to the house was far shorter than Kate had hoped. Each step felt like she was walking through mud, her feet dragging, her spirits getting further and further bogged down with dread. Her father had never raised his voice to her, yet one look could rip her to shreds. She told herself that she should be stronger, that he no longer mattered in her life. Danny loved her. Danny was her family now and she didn't need anyone else, but years of searching for her father's love stood in the way. In her 25 years of life she could not recall one time that he had told her that he loved her, or that he was proud of her. Sometimes she doubted that he was even capable of love, but that hadn't kept her from coming back like a puppy who had been swatted on the nose by her master, tail wagging slowly between her legs.
But not this time, she resolved, her back straightening. This time she wouldn't let him see the hurt, the need. Because she didn't need his love and she certainly didn't need his approval. Not anymore. She was a widow, and a wife, and a mother of two children. She had lived through a horrible marriage and survived life in a detention camp. She didn't need anything from her father.
She had almost convinced herself of this by the time they had reached the house.
Almost.
"Kate! Kate!" Danny called after her. "Stop. Would you please just stop?!" he pleaded. "Let me explain," he said as he finally came up beside her. For such a tiny thing she could move fast when she wanted to, but her legs were no match for his.
"I can't believe you invited my father to my wedding," she hissed, refusing to look up at him.
"Our wedding," Danny corrected her.
She glared at him. "Whatever." She continued to stride along the path, her cheeks flushed in anger. "You know how I feel about him! I can't believe..."
"Yes!" Danny interrupted, stepping in front of her. Grabbing her arms he bent to look into her flashing green eyes. "Yes, I do know how you feel about him," he told her softly. "You feel hurt and betrayed and angry and afraid..."
"Harrumf," Kate snorted, looking away from Danny's intense gaze as her eyes began to fill with tears. Her bravada was not fooling Danny at all.
"Yes. Afraid," he repeated pulling her into his arms and pressing her cheek against his chest. "Afraid of being rejected, afraid of getting hurt." Kate stood stiffly as he stroked her back. "Afraid that he doesn't love you," he whispered softly into her hair. Her lip quivered. They never really talked about her father, but Danny knew Kate well enough to guess what the problem was. Looking down at her, he stroked her face softly, hoping she could see how much he loved her and would always be there for her.
Seeing all the love in his eyes, the dam finally broke and Kate began to cry, her arms wrapping tightly around Danny. "Sh, sh. It's okay," he whispered. "It's okay."
"But he left you behind," she whispered brokenly. "He knew about Micheal and he knew that I was with you and he still gave the order to leave you behind."
"Sh," Danny soothed, holding her close. "I know he did, but he apologized."
Kate looked up at him, her face streaked with tears. "He did? When?"
"When I was in New York last month," Danny explained. "I had that meeting with General Norman to finish off all the paperwork. When I came out of the meeting he was waiting for me. He knew what I was doing there and who I was meeting. Hell," Danny shrugged, "he knew who I was. I didn't recognize him, even after he introduced himself."
"That's not surprising," Kate interjected, her tears slowing. Her heart was beating furiously in her chest. She had done her best to put her family out of her mind. She wasn't prepared to be confronted with them today of all days. She had tried to convince herself that she was dead to them now and vice versa, after all, she had left New York without a backward glance and then married a....a penniless pilot, no matter that he was an officer and a hero. He didn't have money and he wasn't part of 'Society'. Her parents could not be happy about that. Her entire life had been regimented by what was proper and acceptable. Leaving one's husband, having an affair with a socially unsuitable man, and then having a baby out of wedlock...these were sins that her mother and father were not likely to forgive. Kate shuddered, feeling like she was about to face a firing squad. She told herself that she didn't need their approval, that she had done what her heart knew was right, but there was still that small part of her, the part that was still nine years old, that only wanted to know that her father loved her.
Danny hugged her. "Are you ready to go and talk to him?"
"I don't have a choice, do I?" she asked, her voice a soft whisper in the quiet night. Trying to regain some sense of balance, she looked up at Danny with a wry grin. "Unless you let me seduce you right here. It would be very romantic to make love under the stars on our wedding night."
Danny smiled slightly, knowing that she was trying to be brave. "I'd hate for Rafe to have to come out and look for us....could be embarrassing."
Sighing, Kate stepped away from him. "Okay. Let's go. I don't guess that he'll go away."
"That's my girl," Danny said, taking her hand as they walked. "I'll be right there with you."
"You better be," Kate told him. "Because it's your fault that he's here." There was no anger in her voice, just resignation.
The walk back to the house was far shorter than Kate had hoped. Each step felt like she was walking through mud, her feet dragging, her spirits getting further and further bogged down with dread. Her father had never raised his voice to her, yet one look could rip her to shreds. She told herself that she should be stronger, that he no longer mattered in her life. Danny loved her. Danny was her family now and she didn't need anyone else, but years of searching for her father's love stood in the way. In her 25 years of life she could not recall one time that he had told her that he loved her, or that he was proud of her. Sometimes she doubted that he was even capable of love, but that hadn't kept her from coming back like a puppy who had been swatted on the nose by her master, tail wagging slowly between her legs.
But not this time, she resolved, her back straightening. This time she wouldn't let him see the hurt, the need. Because she didn't need his love and she certainly didn't need his approval. Not anymore. She was a widow, and a wife, and a mother of two children. She had lived through a horrible marriage and survived life in a detention camp. She didn't need anything from her father.
She had almost convinced herself of this by the time they had reached the house.
Almost.
