Never giving up on you - Completed.

29.

Caity

I was staring at the empty apartment where I had been living for almost six years. Six years of memories. Girl's nights, sleepless nights, loving nights. Smoking at the balcony when I was upset. Making love on the couch, in bed or in the shower. The crying of a newborn Hailey in the middle of the night, and Lillian being the one to get her instead of me. Making out against the fridge, fighting in the middle of the living room. Finding out I was pregnant while chugging down a bottle of wine. Lillian comforting me and my broken heart, Austin driving me crazy with his touches...

'Are you ready, hun?,' my father asked when he walked in for the last time. I looked up from my thoughts, smiling when my dad put his arm around my shoulder. 'Hard to leave behind, eh?'

'Yeah...,' I mumbeled, trying to keep my tears at bay.

'So much has happened here.'

'Sure has.' I trailed my fingers over the bar counter and thought about all the breakfasts I'd had there, with Lillian, with Hailey, with Austin. A smile curled up my lips a little at the thought of him. I was ready to make new memories.

'Let's go,' my father said and I nodded, grabbing my bag from the ground and looking back one last time before I pulled the door close behind me. I sighed.

My dad and I had packed his car; I wouldn't be moving any furniture since I was moving in with Austin. All I had packed was clothes and personal belongings. Austin had already taken Hailey and my car to L.A.; since he just had surgery, he wouldn't have been of any help with getting the boxes downstairs and into the car. He was pretty annoyed by that, but I had forbidden him to help me and had send him and Hailey away, telling them to better have dinner ready when I came home tonight.

We stayed quiet for some time while my father hit the freeway to L.A. The radio was softly playing and I only looked up from staring outside when he started talking first.

'Cait... I want you to know that your mother and I are very proud of you.'

'Oh...?' My dad smiled a little, not taking his eyes off the road.

'You've become such a wonderful woman. You're smart, you're strong, you know what you want and you're going for it.' I laughed a little.

'Dad, stop,' I said, closing my eyes to fight my tears.

'You really are the joy of our life, Cait, never forget that. So is Hailey. We are so thankful for the both of you.'

'Why are you saying all this?,' I wondered out loud. My father shrugged.

'You're taking the next step in life. Can't I just show my respect for you?,' he chuckled.

'I'm just moving in with Austin. Not that big of a deal...' It was, actually, but I didn't want to emphasize that because I still had a hard time dealing with moving away from Stanford.

'I like Austin,' he then said.

'I know. I'm glad.'

'He's a good man, Cait.'

'He is,' I smiled softly.

'He adores you.' My smile grew wider and I looked sideways to my father. 'I've had a good, long talk with him last week. I know he's done things wrong in the past, but he bettered his life and he is sober and clean and I have so much respect for that.'

'Hmm.' I didn't have the heart to tell him that Austin still smoked weed on a regular basis.

'I'm happy for you and for Hailey that he is in your lifes. He cares so much about you two. I am fully trusting the guy to hand you over to him.'