A Father's Emotions

XV

She rocks on her feet as she watches her shoes and when she's risen to the balls of her feet, the front door finally opens.

'Oh, you,' Rina comments before moving to shut the front door.

'Wait, please,' Hope says softly.

Rina hesitates. 'Why?'

'I need to have a chat with you and your husband. It's about Oriana.'

'Is she okay? Was she hurt?!'

'She's great, really happy.'

Rina frowns confused. 'Then if she's okay, why are you here?'

'I'm here because I'm being traditional. Can you please let me in?'

'Traditional about what?'

'Hope, how are you? Is Oriana okay?' Dylan asks as he joins Rina at the door.

'Hi, Dylan, Oriana is fine. But I need to have a conversation with you two about something and explain a few things,' Hope explains.

'Why are you still stood outside, you silly girl. You're family, you can walk in, you don't have to knock. Oriana wouldn't be pleased if you caught a cold because you didn't let yourself in.'

'The situation required me to be formal. I didn't want to intrude on anything as I know some people don't have an open door and microphone policy in their homes.'

'Are you dying?'

'I'm not sure how much Oriana has told you, sir, but I cannot in the same ways you can.'

'Alrighty then. Come through to the lounge, sweetheart, we'll talk there.'

Her eyes flick between them, Rina seemingly sulking beneath her bored expression and Dylan seems highly curious.

'You have the floor, Miss,' Dylan says before trailing off realising he doesn't know her last name.

'Goldheart,' Hope says.

Rina's eyes widen in disbelief. 'As in the bar?'

'I'm co-owner but yes, family business.'

'What is it that you wanted to talk to us about?'

'Oriana struggled with her identity for years, before I even appeared in her life. What she was looking for was support and she couldn't find it here so she would project her struggles in other ways. It was year ten when we shared our first kiss and after that, we hit a destructive cycle where we would get together in secret and she would get paranoid about you finding out so she'd date a guy to throw you off her scent. Like smoking, it was a way to divert the stress and pain by acting out. But since she's come out, hasn't touched a single one. She was set in a destructive cycle because she couldn't accept herself, she didn't have the support and the only one who noticed all of this was the one she was hurting, which was me.' Hope looks at her hands. 'I know you don't want to hear this but you were s**t at sitting down and actually talking to Oriana about what was worrying her. And you didn't notice she didn't invest in anyone. The only consistent person in her life was me. The amount of people that she's got to know and ditched is unbelievable and you never noticed. You never noticed the self-destruction she was on. I've even had to talk her down, she had enough one night and I managed to save her by the skin of my teeth. That isn't a sight I want to see again and I know I won't see it again. But there's only one way to assure that and I'm going to do it despite your answer today.'

'And that is?' Dylan keeps a hand on his wife's leg, knowing that Hope had struck a nerve.

'I'm asking for your permission to marry Oriana. She's my soulmate and I don't want to lose her. I'm pretty sure you don't want to lose her either. Elizar told me about the other week. I don't see why you have a problem with me, Rina. I care for your daughter more than myself. Why would I do anything to harm her when she can do that herself and I'm stopping her from that?'

'I don't have to justify myself to you when you've had everything handed to you,' Rina says.

'Excuse me? You do not know enough about me to say I've had everything handed to me. I've had to earn what I have, never was I given something because I wanted it so you can take that ridiculous idea from your mind. Without your daughter, I would be nothing and without me, you would lose your daughter. It's either you tolerate me and you have Oriana in your life still or you lose Oriana because her own mind can be toxic enough, let alone you,' Hope replies.

'That doesn't matter. You only needed the father's permission to marry the daughter and I give you my blessings, I always have. Let me know when you are going to propose and I will be there for both of you as the start of a new era,' Dylan states standing up and offering Hope a hand.

Hope stands up, giving Dylan a nod. 'Thank you. She doesn't know I know about this letter because she threw it away before she could send it. It's for both of you,' Hope explains, passing Dylan the letter into his outstretched hand and leaving.

Her eyes flick around as Oriana watches her concerned.

'Are you okay? You've been spaced these past few weeks,' Oriana says, mildly hurt and curious at the same time.

Hope looks at Oriana to see tiredness seeping into her shoulders. 'I'm sorry for being spaced,' Hope mumbles as she looks at the table.

Concern flickers over Oriana's face. 'Everything good? You've been a bit funny since your last visit to your mum.'

Hope looks at Oriana, guilt churning her stomach. 'I didn't visit my mum.' Oriana stares at Hope, her mind drawing a conclusion she didn't want. 'I asked for my dad's help and visited your parents.'

Oriana frowns in disbelief when she notices her family a couple of tables down. Her eyes go around the room to spot the others from the ritual and Naretha. 'What have you done?' she watches as Hope stands up and move to beside her. 'You know you don't have wear that to make up for not wearing it at the ritual.'

Hope smiles before taking the box from where she had hidden it under the table as she presses a kiss to Oriana's forehead. 'I know. But I wanted to.'

'Why.' Oriana stops as Hope gets on one knee.

'Will you look past my spaced attitude and become my wife?'

'Holy shit.'

'I think you're meant to say yes,' Roscoe teases as she looks at Hope's pale expression.

'Yes,' Oriana says so Hope slides the ring on her finger and kisses her.