The Delivery Girl

58. Celebration

Julie

We step inside the house and are immediately greeted by our friends and family crowded together in the foyer. A large Congratulations banner is hung up on the wall, slightly crooked.

"Julie!" Mei rushes up to me and hugs me tight. "Congrats! This is so exciting!"

I laugh. "How did you even know? We just got home."

She chuckles. "How do you think Callen got your ring size?"

–

We all sit outside in the backyard, the sun beginning to dip below the horizon. The sundeck is set up for a full celebration. Long tables lined with snacks and drinks, fairy lights along the railing and walls, and Callen's chef preparing food on the barbecue. It feels surreal, like I've stepped into a new life.

I walk over to the fruit platter and stop beside dad.

"You knew, didn't you." I chuckle. "That's what you wouldn't tell me at my graduation."

"He asked for my blessing and I said yes." He absentmindedly stares at the plate he's holding before continuing. "Did you know I didn't ask your grandpa before proposing to mom?" Something flickers in his eyes. The look of longing when he talks about mom. "He didn't like me and I knew he'd say no. He thought I wasn't good enough for her."

I raise an eyebrow. "Really?"

He laughs awkwardly. "Yes... there was a man he wanted mom to marry. He lived in a nice house, had money, worked an easy job. So we kept our relationship a secret."

My mouth drops open. "You have to see the irony here, right?"

He nods sheepishly. "I do now. I didn't realize how much it hurt to be in his position until it was happening to me. It felt like karma for what I did," he admits with a small shrug. "I regret it, and I wish I apologized to your grandpa. I respect Callen for coming to talk to me."

I feel something shift. A quiet, fragile realization. Breaking the cycle doesn't have to be a big dramatic moment, rather making small choices to do things differently. We might not be able to fix the past, but we can loosen its grip on us.

He reaches over and lightly squeezes my shoulder. "I'm happy you two found each other."

"Thanks, Dad," I say quietly.

A familiar ache begins to rise, but something is different. Softer. For so long, everything between us felt heavy, unmovable and set in stone. For the first time, I finally feel things beginning to really change, even if we don't know exactly what we're doing yet.

After dad walks away, a man I don't recognize approaches me. He's tall with broad shoulders, dark brown hair that's greying on the sides.

"Hi Julie, I'm Tom, Callen's dad." He extends his hand for a handshake. His smile is friendly, but lacks warmth. It reminds me of Callen when we first met, keeping everyone at an arm's length away. "Congratulations and welcome to the family."

"Thank you," I say, doing my best to be polite. What I really want to do, though, is berate this jerk. What is he even doing here? He doesn't deserve anything from Callen after what he did to him. But an engagement celebration is not the time or place to cause a scene. I try to find a safe topic. "Is that your wife?" I point to the woman sitting on the swinging bench. She's the only one who seems to be talking to him.

He nods. "Lisa," he says, and leaves it as that. No attempt to continue the conversation.

I study him and the way he holds himself. Every word seems deliberate and measured. I can almost physically see the walls built up around him, and the put-together mask he's wearing. The familiarity of it all quickly clicks.