sitting at the bottom of the stairs leading to her
apartment. Lucky lay at his feet but jumped up to rush forward and greet her.
She patted his head. Her dad stood and waited for her.
"Hi, Dad. Is everything okay?" "Yeah.
I just wanted to have a father-daughter chat. Do you have a minute?"
"You know I always have time for you,
Daddy."
He smiled and sat back on the stair, patting the
place next to him. "Have a seat, sweetie."
She set her purse down and sat beside him. Lucky
decided to run into the yard to play with Sadie.
Her father said, "Tessa, I know that you
and Sean had a physical thing going on."
Her eyes rounded and she felt herself turning
pink.
Her dad reached and patted her hand. "And
I'm actually happy that you let a man like him into your life. But the two of
you also had so much more going for you. You had a connection, the same as
Monica and I have a connection. The same as your mother and I had a
connection." He kicked the heel of his boot against the floor.
"Honey, you didn't go ballistic until that woman showed up. Sean came to
me after she left and told me that he'd been intimate with her and he regretted
it every day of his life. He also told me how much he loves you."
Tessa lifted a hand to her mouth.
Her father reached for her other hand.
"Tessa, I want you to know that your mother carried extra pounds and it
never mattered to me. I thought she was the most beautiful, sexiest woman I had
ever met. After I met her, I couldn't even look at another woman, and when she
died, I thought I was going to die, too. But I had you, our beautiful daughter,
so I knew I had to go on. And then Monica came into our lives. Monica is the
total opposite of your mother and, believe me, I was surprised by my love for
her. I guess what I'm trying to say is that love can't be tamed, it can't be
put in a box, it can't be manipulated—it just happens. And when it happens
mutually, like it did with me and your mother, and then me and Monica, you need
to grab it with both hands and hang on."
Tessa turned into her father's arms. "I
know, Daddy. Preston just had a similar talk with me and I've been trying to
decide what to do. But hearing you now, I know what I've got to do. I've
got to make a phone call." She jumped up and said, "It's time to do
something positive."
Chapter 22: Groupie
After the concert, Tessa rushed back to her
hotel, the same hotel Sean was staying at, although he didn't know she was
there. After Preston's talk with her and then her father's, she'd put a plan
into action. It had taken the help of her mom and dad and Sean's mom and dad to
pull her caper off, but she was determined to see it through to the end. No
matter how the night ended, it was a new beginning for her. She was letting the
old Tessa rest in peace in exchange for a woman determined to accept herself and
move forward. No more pity parties. If Sean rejected her, at least she'd know where
she stood and she wouldn't wonder "what ifs" for the rest of her
life.
She had plenty of time to get ready because
Mark, a member of the band that Sean's dad had designated the go-between, had
said Sean didn't get back to his hotel room until after midnight. Mark was
going to call as soon as he did.
Tessa showered, changed out of her Levis and
pretty blue top, and into the skirt and blouse Monica had helped her pick out.
The forest green confection matched her eyes and floated around her body—a body
she was determined to accept. She'd finally figured out that as long as she
exercised and ate right, her extra pounds didn't matter. In fact, as she
twirled and watched herself in the mirror, she decided she looked damn sexy.
The skirt reached mid-calf and the blouse dipped just low enough to give some
tantalizing views of cleavage. The bodice was reminiscent of a peasant top from
the regency period and had just enough green lace to make it elegant and not
fussy. Silently, she thanked Monica again and then slipped on some low heels.
Although tall heels
apartment. Lucky lay at his feet but jumped up to rush forward and greet her.
She patted his head. Her dad stood and waited for her.
"Hi, Dad. Is everything okay?" "Yeah.
I just wanted to have a father-daughter chat. Do you have a minute?"
"You know I always have time for you,
Daddy."
He smiled and sat back on the stair, patting the
place next to him. "Have a seat, sweetie."
She set her purse down and sat beside him. Lucky
decided to run into the yard to play with Sadie.
Her father said, "Tessa, I know that you
and Sean had a physical thing going on."
Her eyes rounded and she felt herself turning
pink.
Her dad reached and patted her hand. "And
I'm actually happy that you let a man like him into your life. But the two of
you also had so much more going for you. You had a connection, the same as
Monica and I have a connection. The same as your mother and I had a
connection." He kicked the heel of his boot against the floor.
"Honey, you didn't go ballistic until that woman showed up. Sean came to
me after she left and told me that he'd been intimate with her and he regretted
it every day of his life. He also told me how much he loves you."
Tessa lifted a hand to her mouth.
Her father reached for her other hand.
"Tessa, I want you to know that your mother carried extra pounds and it
never mattered to me. I thought she was the most beautiful, sexiest woman I had
ever met. After I met her, I couldn't even look at another woman, and when she
died, I thought I was going to die, too. But I had you, our beautiful daughter,
so I knew I had to go on. And then Monica came into our lives. Monica is the
total opposite of your mother and, believe me, I was surprised by my love for
her. I guess what I'm trying to say is that love can't be tamed, it can't be
put in a box, it can't be manipulated—it just happens. And when it happens
mutually, like it did with me and your mother, and then me and Monica, you need
to grab it with both hands and hang on."
Tessa turned into her father's arms. "I
know, Daddy. Preston just had a similar talk with me and I've been trying to
decide what to do. But hearing you now, I know what I've got to do. I've
got to make a phone call." She jumped up and said, "It's time to do
something positive."
Chapter 22: Groupie
After the concert, Tessa rushed back to her
hotel, the same hotel Sean was staying at, although he didn't know she was
there. After Preston's talk with her and then her father's, she'd put a plan
into action. It had taken the help of her mom and dad and Sean's mom and dad to
pull her caper off, but she was determined to see it through to the end. No
matter how the night ended, it was a new beginning for her. She was letting the
old Tessa rest in peace in exchange for a woman determined to accept herself and
move forward. No more pity parties. If Sean rejected her, at least she'd know where
she stood and she wouldn't wonder "what ifs" for the rest of her
life.
She had plenty of time to get ready because
Mark, a member of the band that Sean's dad had designated the go-between, had
said Sean didn't get back to his hotel room until after midnight. Mark was
going to call as soon as he did.
Tessa showered, changed out of her Levis and
pretty blue top, and into the skirt and blouse Monica had helped her pick out.
The forest green confection matched her eyes and floated around her body—a body
she was determined to accept. She'd finally figured out that as long as she
exercised and ate right, her extra pounds didn't matter. In fact, as she
twirled and watched herself in the mirror, she decided she looked damn sexy.
The skirt reached mid-calf and the blouse dipped just low enough to give some
tantalizing views of cleavage. The bodice was reminiscent of a peasant top from
the regency period and had just enough green lace to make it elegant and not
fussy. Silently, she thanked Monica again and then slipped on some low heels.
Although tall heels
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