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"Why?"

"You're hter-in-law Not technically,to be with my most difficult child"

"He is difficult"

"And you're a se the world for the better I only wish… I only wish I'd be able to see all of it"

"None of us do"

"No I suppose not" He stares at his brandy glass "But now I'm the one off track What happened with your mother?"

"You really want to talk about that?"

"I do"

"Okay" I take my last sip Hail the waitress

"Is it that bad?"

"A little"

He smiles softly "You don't have to tell me It's none of my business"

"No It's okay" I want to tell so true

The waitress appears Somehow senses my needs "Another round?"

"Yes, please," I say

Preston nods of course

Thankfully, the waitress is quick with our drinks

Again, I pounce on mine

I take another sip S hard I can do this Really

Confronting my fear of co his son—

No fucking problem

I take a deep breath and I start

Chapter Thirty-One

Briar

"Is it obvious I'e?" I ask

"You hide it well" Preston listens carefully, as if he wants to hear everything I have to say

It shouldn't feel unusual—isn't this how conversation goes—but it does

With my dad…

It's not that he doesn't listen He did When I was a kid, I was daddy's little girl I loved spending ti time with me

He listened when I raray I saw at the aquarium or the swim meet on Saturday or the action on my current cartoon

Even when I was older, when I was talking about the bad music at middle school dances, or the books in Honors A—

He always listened He always kne to irl