Dreamwalker's Bride - Chapter 336

Chapter 336: Fixing things
Mia closed her eyes in frustration, but managed to school her face into an obedient smile before she turned towards her father.

“Coming, Papa,” She called back to him.

“I hope I didn’t get you into trouble,” Ford fretted under his breath, but Mia brushed him off without responding.

Even if he did get her into trouble, she could handle it… she hoped.

Her father stood gazing up the next level of stairs, his eyes seemingly intentionally averted from where Mia had been lingering with Ford. His attempted nonchalance irked her, but she masked her feelings behind a tight smile.

“Yes, Papa?” She asked gently.

“While there’s still a little bit of light left, I thought you and I might scout ahead a shelf or two, to see how the horses might handle things tomorrow,” He explained. “A couple of the shelves were a bit of a jump today, and knowing a bit of what we’re in for will smooth things a bit, don’t you think?”

“As long as you don’t think there will be any danger that close,” Mia shrugged. “If you think there might be, perhaps we should consider bringing Ford to hide us if the need arises.”

“I’m sure we will be fine,” Seth didn’t rise to the bait, for once, glossing over the mention of his name without letting irritation leak into his voice. “We won’t go far.”

If they weren’t going to venture far, Mia wondered at the utility of this little scouting expedition, but she didn’t question her father out loud.

“All right,” She agreed softly. “This way.”

She let her gift pull her forward, the secondary tug behind her reminding her of Ford’s presence with an understated longing that she struggled to ignore.

The pair walked silently for a short while, stepping or climbing up the short rises between shelves in a shockingly reasonable sort of staircase up the side of the peculiar white cliffs.

The sun was lingering in the sky, but only barely, and soon, Mia paused to catch her breath.

“Should we head back?” She asked easily.

“That’s probably best,” Seth agreed, his eyes dropping, “Mia, I wanted to talk to you…”

“Oh?” The woman tried not to look as exhausted as she felt. What she really wanted to say was ‘again?’ in a less-than-respectful tone, but if she wanted to be treated like a grown woman, she would have to demonstrate control over her impulses.

“I want to fix our relationship, Mia. I know I keep trying, and I keep failing, and…” Seth grimaced. “I apologize, and then I think we’re getting better, and then I seem to mess it up again because of that boy.”

“You can say his name, Papa.” Mia sighed.

“Ford. Because of Ford. He’s like a wall between us that I can’t get past,” Seth complained, holding his hands up.

“Because you made him one,” The woman tried to speak without bitterness. “I don’t see him that way at all.”

Seth frowned. “I don’t know how to get past… get around this. I want my little girl back, who used to sit on my knee and chase fireflies with me, and hugged my neck every night before bed.”

His eyes began to mist, and he went on before Mia could respond. “And you’ll always be her, but at the same time, you’re not anymore. I can’t get my head around the fact that you’re a young woman now. And I especially can’t get past that particular young man noticing that you’re a young woman!”

“Papa,” Mia swallowed the lump in her throat. “I don’t know about him noticing me, but I do know that constantly glaring at him isn’t likely to make things any better. If…”

She drew in a shaky breath and was glad the fading light might hide her facial expression.

“If things do go the way you seem to think they will, where will that leave you and me? Either you’ll resent me for going against your wishes, or you’ll forbid it and I’ll obey, causing me to resent you. Is either of those all right?” Mia looked her father in the eyes, and saw the pain in them.

“No,” He answered simply. “I want what’s best for you, Mia.”

“What happens if I disagree about what’s best?” She kept her tone quiet and respectful.

A heavy silence hung between them, and Seth ran one hand down his face in frustration. Mia sighed and turned to begin the walk back to camp, but her father stopped her.

“I will try to get to know Ford better,” He said slowly, obviously trying to pick his words carefully. “I will do my best to treat him fairly as I do so, but…”

Mia raised her eyebrows. She had not expected her father to turn the conversation quite this direction, and dreaded the ‘but’ of his sentence.

“I was young once,” Seth pursed his lips. “My judgment was clouded by my feelings, and I did not always make the best choices.”

“You chose Mama. You chose well,” Mia pointed out.

“There’s a very long story in that, but suffice to say, your grandparents played a role in guiding me to make the right decision,” Seth grimaced, and Mia’s eyes widened.

“Was there someone else besides Mama?” She asked incredulously, and Seth waved her off.

“That’s a story for another time, or maybe never. We’re getting off topic,” He swallowed. “My point is that I benefited very greatly from listening to my elders over myself. I promise you I will do my very best to get to know Ford and judge his character fairly, but if after all that, I still find him to be a poor choice for you, will you please try your best to trust my judgment?”

Mia looked into her father’s eyes. They were earnest. Somber. A little frightened. She wanted to point out that if Grandpa’s judgment had been so good before, why couldn’t he be the one to say whether Ford was good enough? But she held her tongue, knowing that her father really did have her best interests at heart.

“I will try,” She nodded.

“I love you, Mia.” Seth opened his arms, and she stepped into them with a sigh.

“I love you, too.”